At the end of August, France Women underwent an intensive training camp as part of their preparation for a pair of November Tests against world champions New Zealand.
Les Bleues, who won the Grand Slam earlier this year, will take on the Black Ferns in two matches at the Stade Félix Mayol in Toulon and the Stade des Alpes in Grenoble.
The latter is the site of where they beat England in front of a world record crowd during the Six Nations in the decisive game of the Championship.
That was under the leadership of new captain Gaëlle Hermet, and the flanker insists that the team will not be resting on their laurels.
She said: “We have to ask more of ourselves because year on year the level is rising. It’s by putting in lots of intensity that we can make that step which separates us from the top spot.”
Coach Oliver Lièvremont agreed, adding: “If we want to challenge the best, we will have to show character and go beyond ourselves. We cannot be satisfied with one good session, it has to be every training session. It’s a mental challenge.”
Tickets are already available for the two games, with prices starting as low as five euros.
And ahead of the twin Tests against New Zealand, fellow coach Samuel Cherouk is confident his team is putting in the work to take the next step.
He said: “This is still a group that is hungry, which wants to go further. The other countries train the same way as us. The difference is what the players do alongside. We play as we train, we train as we play. You can’t train at 2km/h and then play at 50. It’s good to have your head in the stars, but you need to keep your feet on the ground.”
Click here for tickets for France Women v New Zealand
