Preview: New Zealand vs France

That was the message from France head coach Philip Saint-Andre ahead of the World Cup's most eagerly anticipated match so far.

The All Blacks have had a checkered history against the French in World Cups and will be wary of their opponent’s ability to play champagne rugby when their backs are against the wall. 

You only need to go back to the 1999 and 2007 World Cups to know why France are known as New Zealand's hoodoo team. The All Blacks were knocked out of both of those tournaments by the French – in the semifinals in 1999 and 2007 in the quarterfinals.

However, the All Blacks did win the 1987 and 2011 World Cups (both held in New Zealand) with victories over the French in the final.

"If you look at New Zealand playing, it will be complicated," Saint-Andre admitted.

"We'll have to take into our hands our own destiny, to impose our game.

"If we want to beat New Zealand, we will have to play the French way."

Saint-Andre is saying is that they simply have to be unpredictable in what they do on the field, which means he will be giving his players more freedom in decision-making.

"We're getting ready for a massive battle. We know we'll have to improve our up-front game and take more individual initiatives," Saint-Andre added.

New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen on the other hand believes there is not much difference between the two teams. 

"From a rugby point of view we've got similar athletes. France have always had great athletes," he said, singling out captain Thierry Dusautoir in particular.

"He's one of the great players of all time," Hansen said. 

"If there wasn't a certain Richie McCaw running around during that same period Dusautoir would probably be seen as the guy whose played the best rugby in that [seven] position over a long period of time. 

"He's calculated, he's cool under pressure, he has a smart rugby brain on him and he's a good man, a good character, plays the game with the right spirit and he's a great ambassador for French rugby."

Hansen will be relying on his experienced players to lay the platform for victory on Saturday.

"The big boys have to step up to the plate and the team that does this the best will move through to the next round. It's as simple as that," Hansen added.

Players to watch:

For New Zealand: One could mention something on each player in the New Zealand matchday squad, but we could only focus on few. Ma'a Nonu has probably been the best inside centre in the world for the last few years and he is capable of breaking through any defence with his raw power and speed off the mark. Nehe-Milner Skudder is the new kid on the block and will keep the French defence busy with his high work rate, while flyhalf Daniel Carter is a match-winner with his attacking nous and goal kicking. Up front Brodie Retallick is the engine in the forward pack and will look to dominate the line-outs, while captain Ritchie McCaw will look to disrupt the French at the breakdowns with his spoiling tactics.

For France: Scott Spedding was France's best player in the loss against Ireland. He looks dangerous with ball in hand and can punish the All Blacks with his long-range kicking at goal. Frederic Michalak is the Jekyll and Hyde of rugby – if he decides to play with gay abandonment he can be a match winner just like Carter or destroy his team's chances by trying too much…or too little. Captain Thierry Dusautoir is physical and abrasive and can rattle the All Blacks with his crunching tackles. No.8 Louis Picamoles, just like Dusautoir, is good in the tackle and he also has the ability to take his team over the advantage line with his power.

Head to head: The most intriguing battle will be at flyhalf with the mercurial talents of Daniel Carter and Frederic Michalak. Both can ignite their backline and both are capable of turning the game on its head with a moment of brilliance. There will also be a keen eye on the two scrumhalves, Aaron Smith and Morgan Parra. There is a difference in style between those two with Smith being a more all-out attacking scrumhalf, while Parra is more conservative and tactical. The battle at the breakdowns will also be an important area and it will be interesting to see if South African-born Bernard le Roux can match or even outplay the masterful Richie McCaw on the ground. Line-outs are a key component of the modern-day game and both Brodie Retallick and Pascal Pape will be looking to steal their opponent's ball. They will also be key in the physical exchanges in open play.

Recent results:

2013: New Zealand won 26-19, Paris

2013: New Zealand won 24-9, New Plymouth

2013: New Zealand won 30-0, Christchurch

2013: New Zealand won 23-13, Auckland

2011: New Zealand won 8-7, Auckland (World Cup Final)

2011: New Zealand won 37-17, Auckland (World Cup pool game)

2009: New Zealand won 39-12, Marseille

2009: New Zealand won 14-10, Wellington

2009: France won 27-22, Dunedin

2007: France won 20-18, Cardiff (World Cup quarterfinal

Prediction: France have a history of winning matches with great importance against New Zealand, but it will not happen this time around. Expect New Zealand to win by at least 25 points.

New Zealand: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Wyatt Crockett.

Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Sam Cane, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Sonny Bill Williams.

France: 15 Scott Spedding, 14 Noa Nakaitaci, 13 Alexandre Dumoulin, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Brice Dulin, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Pape, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Eddy Ben Arous.

Replacements: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Nicolas Mas, 19 Damien Chouly, 20 Yannick Nyanga, 21 Rory Kockott, 22 Remi Tales, 23 Mathieu Bastareaud.

Date: Saturday, October 17

Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Kick-off: 20.00 (19.00 GMT; 21.00.00 France time; 08.00 Sunday, October 18 NZ time)

Expected weather: Cloudy with a high of 12 (The stadium's roof will be closed)

Referee: Nigel Owens

Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper, John Lacey

TMO: Shaun Veldsman

Agence France-Presse & @rugby365com