France winger Teddy Thomas bagged a hat-trick on his Test debut against Fiji © Getty Images

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France have revenge in mind having suffered three straight defeats by the Wallabies on their June tour of Australia, thumped 50-23 in Brisbane and 39-13 in Sydney either side of a dour 6-0 reverse in Melbourne.

"We have to take a triple revenge," coach Philippe Saint-Andre said ahead of their Test against Australia in Paris on Saturday. "What struck me was the third Test [in June] where we collapsed too quickly," Saint-Andre said. "That's unacceptable when you represent a country, a history, an identity."

Saint-Andre knows his side have to stand up in individual battles at the Stade de France in Paris, after Les Bleus had cruised to a 40-15 success over Fiji in Marseille while Australia triumphed 33-28 in Cardiff to record their 10th successive victory over Wales. "They won a lot of turnovers [against Wales], they have individuals who are capable of winning one-on-one duels".

As for his own side, Saint-Andre says there is much to improve despite running in five tries against Fiji, including a hat-trick from debutant wing Teddy Thomas.

"We know we still have work to do. We conceded two tries from defensive mistakes and we could have been a bit more patient close to the line. But at least there was enthusiasm, desire, a team that was lively and enjoyed playing."

The result ensured France did not suffer a fifth straight defeat for the first time since 1982; they had lost their final Six Nations clash 22-20 at home to Ireland in March before the June tour. But Saint-Andre is wary of his side switching off.

"We're French," he said. "Every time we don't move things very much, we fall asleep."

Still, the coach has enjoyed his latest rare success since taking over the reins three years ago; he has won only 12 of 30 Tests in charge. And he even found the chance to mock those who have criticised him for constant tinkering.

He aligned halfback Sebastien Tillous-Borde with fly-half Camile Lopez for his 13th different halves pairing in those 30 matches, and they played well and combined expertly.

"Maybe there will be a 14th or 15th [pairing]," Saint-Andre joked before turned his attention to Racing-Metro's Thomas, who is likely to be given another outing against the Wallabies despite being partially at fault for Fiji's first try after a weak attempted tackle.

"Already he has qualities that you can't buy in the supermarket: he runs fast, he wins his duels and he scores tries," said Saint-Andre, who was also impressed with the debut of South Africa-born Scott Spedding and Alexandre Dumoulin. "For [Spedding's] first cap, it was a quality performance; just as with Dumoulin, who was more than interesting."

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