France's second-string too strong for Auckland Blues

France's Bermard Le Roux (C) runs with the ball during his side's tour match against Auckland Blues France's second-string players pressed their case for Test selection with a convincing 38-15 win over the Auckland Blues in a tour match in Albany on Tuesday.
France scored four tries to two in a dominant performance, with Fijian-born winger Noa Nakaitaci claiming a double and scrum-half Jean Marc Doussain booting home seven of his eight kicks.
Full-back Maxime Medard was the only starting player carried over from France's 12-23 first Test loss to the All Blacks on Saturday, and flanker Yannick Nyanga said his team-mates were looking to catch coach Philippe Saint-Andre's eye.
"We knew it would be a hard game for us because it's between two Tests and a lot of our players are playing for the French national team for the first time," he said.
"It wasn't easy to prepare but we played very well tonight and we're very happy about the win... now it's up to the coach to decide."
Fly-half Baden Kerr gave France a wake-up call when he put Auckland ahead with a penalty after just two minutes of the first match a New Zealand Super 15 team has ever played against international opposition.
The French responded immediately when Doussain hit back with a three-pointer of his own as the tourists took the game to the New Zealanders, with Medard leading the attack.
Dominating the breakdown and assisted by some poor discipline from a home side missing six All Blacks, France were only denied two tries before half-time by some desperate Auckland defence.
Instead they had to settle for three more Doussain penalties to go into the break leading 12-3.
Their patient attack finally paid off soon after the restart, when Toulouse centre Gael Fickou just got his fingertips to a pass and fended off a defender for the first try of the match, with Doussain nailing the conversion.
The second try followed moments later when Medard landed an inch-perfect kick to set up a French line-out deep in Auckland territory, with Nakaitaci touching down in the corner for a converted score.
Despite their lead, the French attack did not relent and Nakaitaci scored his second try when he stretched out through a crush of defenders to make it 31-3.
Auckland captain James Parson attempted to spark a fightback when the New Zealanders managed their first sustained period of possession mid-way through the second half, burrowing his way over the line after 18 phases of play.
George Moala followed with another for the New Zealanders on 68 minutes, catching the French defenders napping when he burst into space and narrowed the gap to 31-15.
But Benjamin Kayser's converted try for the French snuffed out any chance of an upset, with midfielder Maxime Mermoz almost adding another, which was disallowed when the tourists were penalised for obstruction.
France will play New Zealand in the second Test in Christchurch on Saturday.