France coach Philippe Saint-Andre insists it is time for his side to get back to basics as they target a return to the World Cup final next year.
Saint-Andre’s predecessor Marc Lievremont guided France to the 2011 World Cup final where they lost to hosts New Zealand but the current coach is looking to bounce back after a 3-0 series defeat to Australia over the summer.
France host the Wallabies as well as Fiji and Argentina this autumn before the 2015 RBS 6 Nations, where they will be hoping to improve on their fourth-placed finish earlier this year.
Les Bleus have just announced a 30-man squad for a three-day training camp ahead of the November test matches with some big names, including scrum-half Morgan Parra, missing out.
And Saint-Andre insists future squad selections will continue to be based on form as opposed to reputation, meaning players can’t afford to rest on their laurels.
“We need results, being in the squad is not done on the back of what one has on one’s CV and what it says on your business card, it is on the basis of present form,” Saint-Andre told AFP.
“First of all I want to see a group of guys who don’t let anything go, who win their respective duels, who are capable of leaving their mark on the player they tackle.
“I am eager that we focus on the basics of rugby with enthusiastic blokes, who do not have the impression they are being restrained from playing, that they are capable of passing, to go forward, to be able to create overlaps.
“I still have 13 months and two weeks, I hope, because if that is the case it will mean we will be in the World Cup final.
“That is my challenge. As a player I never let up and as a coach I operate in the same manner and I will never cease to, until the World Cup final.”
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