Carter looking to finish with French flourish

DAN CARTER is the centre of attention as New Zealand prepare to face France in Marseille tonight.

Carter missed the All Blacks’ stunning loss to France in Dunedin earlier this year, but New Zealand will not have that excuse this time if they come up short in the toughest test of their tour.

The fly-half, who earlier this year saw a spell at Perpignan cut short by an Achilles injury, is a keen student of the French game and is looking forward to facing it head on.

“Over the last couple of years, there’s been a great rivalry with the French and it’s always been an extremely tough challenge,” he said.

“I saw this game against France as being the most difficult and challenging. And when you come up against those challenges you want to really lift yourself and play the best.

“Our season’s been a bit up and down but we’ve finished strongly over the last four or five games, so we really want to finish on a high note and the only way to do that is by beating a very strong French side.”

New Zealand will be sporting an unusual look on the Mediterranean coast, as their traditional black jerseys will be replaced with white due to an IRB edict on visiting teams.

At one stage it appeared they would indeed be able to switch back to black, but the Brad Thorn said he was not too disappointed when that did not happen.

“I’d be pretty keen to keep it,” he said of the white jersey. “It’s a special sort of jersey and I remember them playing in the 1987 World Cup (against Scotland) in a white jersey and it was cool. It’s unique, you know.”

France enter the game on the back of a 43-5 mauling of Samoa, but know they face something entirely different tomorrow.

Their confidence is high only two weeks on from beating South Africa 20-13, but coach Marc Lievremont admitted that will count for little in Marseille tonight.

“It is different because this is the best team we will face in this series of Tests,” he said.

“It is different because there is a history here, including a recent France victory. It is different because they see this match as essential to the success of their season.

“And it is different because they are back to their best. But they respect us. They do not fear us, but they respect us.”

This is the last time that France will get to face the All Blacks before the 2011 World Cup, but that is not something that concerns Lievremont. “I don’t think it comes into play. This match is important to them. It is not about us putting pressure on them, or them unloading.”