Four years ago, France lost by a single point to New Zealand in front of the All Blacks' home crowd in the final at Auckland's Eden Park. The fact they made the final was an achievement in itself; that they ran the All Blacks so close was remarkable.
That said, the defeat made it the most unwanted of hat-tricks, as Les Bleus fell just short of winning the Webb Ellis Cup for a third time. Typically, you never know what you're going to get with the French side. Dazzling and dynamic on the one hand, sporadic and frustrating on the other, they're the kind of enigmatic team that other sides will want to avoid particularly if they build confidence and momentum in their pool matches that begin with a clash against Italy at Twickenham.
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