French coach Bernard Laporte kept his feet firmly on the ground Sunday in spite of two successive wins over southern hemisphere opposition and declared Saturday's victims Australia were still a
better outfit than his.

The 37-year-old has achieved more success against southern hemisphere teams than he has in the two Six Nations tournaments since he took over after the 1999 World Cup, but he admitted the second-half of Saturday's 14-13 win over the world champions in Marseille had exposed some home truths.

"It is necessary to call a cat a cat," the former Stade Francais coach said.

"When one pays closer attention to the second-half it is clear there was a gap in class.

"Australia did as they wanted while France had to rely on chances to counter attack.

"We forgot the strengths we had displayed in the first-half but happily we were outstanding in defence," he added.

Laporte, who played scrum-half for Begles-Bordeaux but was never capped, rejected claims that France had become a world power just because his young side had beaten the Springboks and the Wallabies in a matter of a week.

"We have to keep our feet on the ground," he said.

"We are not magicians who can put together an elaborate game plan in just four days.

"It is not possible in just eight days of being together for the past two matches to establish a side as competitive as the Australians and the All Blacks.

"But this team has talent and it has to be given time," he added.

Laporte also played down expectations that he might, at last, fashion a side capable of performing in the Six Nations rather than the mediocre campaigns he has overseen last season and the one before.

"Again be careful not to get too carried away," he said.

"French clubs haven't won the European Cup in the last five years.

"The best teams in Europe are the English and the Irish, whether it be at club or national level."