"There will be no more surprise effect": Esteban Abadie expects revenge from the Blacks

"When we see what the first test in Dunedin was like, in an indoor stadium, should we necessarily expect, on the French side, a lot of bowling and tackling in three days in Wellington? Yes, a rugby match, you know (smiles) . We'll have to adapt to the conditions (rain and wind are forecast) . We're really expecting a difficult match. It went pretty well for us last week. We played a very good match, a close match. But I think there will be no more surprise effect with regard to the group we announced and that the All Blacks will really have this spirit of revenge.

The element of surprise, potentially, could exist again since the starting team risks being profoundly changed... Of course, but I think they had some doubts about our displayed level. In any case, that's what came out in the press. The element of surprise I'm talking about refers to that.

"I don't have the profile of a number 8 puncher. But I'm going to play to my strengths, whether it's touch, speed and defensive and offensive ability."

You're going to be starting in a number 8 position that isn't really yours. What does the coach ask of you? To bring your superpower in the lineout? Your fighting spirit? He simply asks me to be myself. I'm being repositioned in a position where I'm not necessarily used to playing. He just told me to play to my strengths, that in modern rugby, everyone plays a bit in different positions. It's true that I don't have the profile of a punching number 8. But I'm going to play to my strengths, whether it's lineout, speed, and hustle on both the defensive and offensive levels.

This is your second cap. Do you feel a pang of apprehension? My first cap is starting to come back. It was in the penultimate Six Nations Tournament against Italy in Lille and it ended in a difficult draw (13-13) . Now, I feel a good amount of stress, especially excitement and pride. I worked hard to come back here.

The starting fifteen that seems to be taking shape for this second test only has an average of 4.5 caps. How do you cope with that when you're on the inside? It's a bit of a leap into the unknown. Most of the guys playing this weekend aren't used to the international level and don't really know what to expect. Afterwards, we're lucky to be playing in a Championship that's perhaps the best in the world. This one will be a cut above, but the guys delivered last week. It's up to us to do the same on Saturday.

"Maybe even if we play a perfect game, we won't win. But what's certain is that if we're half-hearted, it won't work."

Rugby isn't just on the pitch. It's off it too. We have a group that's really good together, a young group. With a lot of guys here in New Zealand, we've been following each other since we were little. And we have two or three dads with us, Gaël (Fickou) , Rabah (Slimani) and Tao (Romain Taofifenua) who oversee everything. They're the ones who were raising the average number of caps. Obviously, if two of them don't play (Fickou and Slimani shouldn't be on the team sheet) , it drops suddenly.

How do you find your rhythms in such a short time with Pierre Bochaton and Jacobus Van Tonder, your back-row teammates? They're guys I don't know very well. We compete in the league, but personally, we don't know each other very well. We've been getting to know each other for a week or two now. We have similar qualities, which means we'll be able to play hard, move around a lot, and try to string together tasks.

It's possible the All Blacks will line up with Ardie Savea at number 8 on Saturday. Does this duel inspire you? Well, yes, it's a dream. Honestly, it's a dream to play against players like that. And it pushes you to give the best of yourself. You want to excel. And that's what happened last week. Playing against the Blacks, especially at their home, is a childhood dream. In any case, if you're not at 200%, if you don't play your best game, there's no way you can claim to win. And that's clearly our goal: to win. Maybe even with a perfect game, we won't win. But what's certain is that if we're half-hearted, it won't happen.

Could you, like Savea, play a little kick over the top? (He laughs) Yes, yes, if I want to end up in the fridge for the rest of my career.