Wallabies have unpleasant memories
Australia's last visit to Paris left the team with a decidedly unpleasant feeling, an emotion they hope to avoid at Stade de France on Saturday.
Despite their three-nil whitewash of Les Bleus in June, the Wallabies are all singing the same chorus this week: 'Watch out for a French backlash.'
Australia recorded 50-23 and 39-13 victories in Brisbane and Sydney, with a 6-0 aberration in Melbourne in the Junes Tests.
However, when the two teams last met in Paris, in November 2012, France recorded a comprehensive 33-6 win.
Before that the Wallabies won five games in a row, including a 59-16 demolition of the French team in their previous encounter (in 2010).
It is understandable that the Wallabies are apprehensive in the build-up their the third match on their year-end tour.
Scrumhalf Nick Phipps is adamant they have learnt from past mistakes and are still scarred from a nightmare trip to France two years ago.
"I was here in 2012 and we got absolutely ambushed there, we were well and truly beaten around the park," Phipps said.
"That wasn't a very pleasant experience, it shocked us a little bit.
"It was the first game of our year-end tour that year and we managed to do quite well in the other four games.
"But you can expect [France] will be a completely different team to the one that came out in June. It would be pretty hard to draw comparisons to now, the French are such a passionate team.
"They're phenomenal at home, the psyche [coach Michael Cheika] has talked about them having is that they never lose at home. They'll throw a lot at us."
Source: The Canberra Times
Josh Mann-Rea & @JoeTomane29 are looking to make their first appearance against @FFR_officiel in 2014. WATCH: http://t.co/OBgf8xg6OL
— Qantas Wallabies (@QantasWallabies) November 12, 2014
* French training
#XVFrance Les Bleus partent cet après-midi pour le CNR, dernier entrainement avant de rentrer sur Paris! #FRAAUS pic.twitter.com/LqlQnP8kmF
— FFR officiel (@FFR_officiel) November 12, 2014
