Australia v France, 2nd Test
France planning Melbourne revenge
ESPN Staff
June 10, 2014
Morgan Parra wings the ball out in training, Marcoussis, France, September 24, 2013
France scrum-half Morgan Parra is expecting marked improvement from France © Getty Images
Enlarge

Stunned by the Wallabies in last Saturday's opening Test, France scrum-half Morgan Parra says the tourists are planning a Melbourne revenge mission this weekend.

Parra says France were caught out by Australia's superior physicality, speed and execution and had not expected the hosts to be as good as they were in the 50-23 defeat in Brisbane.

The tourists will be boosted by the availabilty of several players who sat out the opening Test, including inspirational captain Thierry Dusautoir, playmaker Remi Tales, giant centre Mathieu Bastareaud, winger Maxime Medard and rampaging No.8 Louis Picamoles.

Parra played a cameo off the bench at Suncorp Stadium, scoring one try and setting up another in the dying minutes, and he says the French are keen to prove their first Test display was just an aberration.

"They surprised us in terms of the intensity of the game and the pace of the game, the speed of the passing," Parra said. "It's two things. I don't think mentally we were expecting that kind of intensity from the first Test so now we are aware of it. The second thing is when you get 50 points against you ... you just want to get a bit of revenge from the score the previous weekend."

Parra says France's missing stars would probably have made little difference to the result given Australia's performance but he does believe having so many top quality players available will be a huge boost for the tourists.

"I'm not sure even if you'd put 15 or 20 other players in the line-up the other week you would have changed much. Australia's performance was just great. Everyone is important. It's not because one or another come in that you will change the strategy of the team but it's true that when you've got Mathieu Bastareaud in midfield it's helping some other player from the forwards."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.