French therapy for Kiwis

The Kiwis' detour to the south of France for a one-off rugby league test has proved timely in taking their minds off their Tri-Nations fate, coach Daniel Anderson says.

The New Zealanders have a bye in the series this week and have come to the picturesque medieval city of Carcassonne, where they will play France early tomorrow (3am NZT).

Two days later, Great Britain will take on Australia at Wigan in a clash that will have a big bearing on the Kiwis' hopes of making the Tri-Nations final in Leeds on November 27.

If Great Britain lose, New Zealand will stay alive in the tournament, and the meeting between them at Hull the following weekend will decide who will play off against Australia.

But if the Lions beat the Kangaroos at JBB Stadium, they will qualify for the title decider.

Even a draw won't be too helpful to the Kiwis, who will then have to beat Great Britain by more than 36 points at Hull.

Anderson said the trip to Carcassonne meant the wait until the Kiwis found out where they stood wouldn't be so difficult.

Getting out of England and concentrating on the test against France meant the Great Britain-Australia match would almost have come around by the time the Kiwis got back to Leeds on Friday.

"We don't have to be worrying about it," Anderson said.

"It won't be a nice Saturday from about 5 o'clock to about 8.30, but focusing on France has been timely for us."

Meanwhile, despite the results so far, Anderson said he was heartened by the effort shown by his players over the past month.

"We haven't shirked anything in this whole tournament," Anderson said.

"We've had two 10-minute patches we would rather forget. Other than that, we've been committed."

After a 16-16 draw with Australia in Auckland, the Kiwis went down 12-32 to Kangaroos in London and 12-22 to Great Britain at Huddersfield.

Anderson added that the youngsters in the team ? like Louis Anderson, Sonny Bill Williams and Thomas Leuluai, all only 19; and Brent Webb and Shontayne Hape, both uncapped before the tournament ? had performed better than ever.

"These boys haven't played this well before in their careers," he said.

"We've got a whole heap of new guys in there who are playing outstanding football against outstanding opposition. We've exposed them to the international arena and they'll be in the test team for a long time to come."

Leuluai came off with a shoulder injury during the defeat by Great Britain, but could be fit to face the Lions on November 20.

"It's a real shame for him," Anderson said of the injury.

"I think most of us who know Thomas would say that the best game he's ever played since coming into first grade was at the weekend. His kicking game was solid, his defence was great, he made a break ? he just had a really good game."

France's Australian coach, Mick Aldous, believed the Tri-Nations final would be decided between New Zealand and Australia.

Aldous, a former Canberra player and Wests Tigers assistant coach, said he wasn't surprised at the Kiwis' lapses in the tournament.

"The boys play a lot on rhythm and, when their rhythm is good, they can do anything," he said.

"They've fallen out of rhythm a little bit at times, but I'm sure it will come with playing with each other. I'm sure they're not far from playing their absolute best footy."

Meanwhile French forward Olivier Elima is relishing the prospect of coming up against Kiwi opposite Ali Lauitiiti again during the one-off rugby league test at Carcassonne tomorrow.

The pair have played against each other in the English Super League, Elima for Wakefield Trinity and Lauitiiti for Leeds in his first season with the newly-crowned champions.

"It's a big task for me," Elima said today.

"He's a really good player. He off-loads, he's hard to tackle and he's a really big guy. It will be tough, but I'm certainly not afraid of it. I'm looking forward to doing my best."

New Zealand have a bye in the Tri-Nations tournament this week and Elima believed the changes the Kiwis had made to their line-up for the match at Stade Albert Domec might help the French cause.

As had been planned, those in the tour party whose only appearance so far was for the Anzacs against Cumbria a fortnight ago have been included in the New Zealand 17.

That means test debuts for fullback Jamaal Lolesi, prop Alex Chan, hooker Dene Halatau and lock Wairangi Koopu.

"I'm not saying it will be easy, but it won't be their first team," Elima said.

"However, the players coming in have something to prove to the coach so they'll be playing hard as well. We certainly know it will be a difficult game."

France have two new caps of their own in winger Damien Couturier and lock Gregory Mounis.

Their last match, in the European Nations Cup, ended in a 42-4 defeat to eventual competition winners England at Avignon last month.

Elima, 21, said there were plenty of positive aspects for the Chanticleers from that loss, despite the big margin on the scoreboard.

The main point of encouragement was the amount of scoring opportunities that the French created but were unable to convert, and he said backing up was a key area for improvement.

"Every time we broke the line there was nobody inside or outside, so the main thing is support play," he said.

"We had so many occasions to score and it was just frustrating that we didn't finish them."

The second rower said some players had been brought in for their ability to support the ball carrier, including Couturier, who scored a number of tries in the domestic competition through his backing up.

"Little things like that can make a big difference."

After meeting the Kiwis, France play Australia in Toulouse on November 20 and they take heart from the fact that a French Selection last year held the world champions to 34-10 at Carcassonne.

They also regard their last test against New Zealand, in Perpignan in 2002, as having produced a favourable result, with the home side down just 6-0 at halftime before losing 36-10.

Elima is the only English Super League player in the French squad. He had a season at Castleford, before moving to Wakefield, where he has spent two years and has re-signed for another three.

The test against New Zealand at a stadium that is just a short distance from the medieval walled city that dominates Carcassonne will be held on a public holiday.

In France, shops and offices are closed as the country observes "Armistice" or Remembrance Day.