Bernard Laporte has set his players a hard task for Saturday's test against New Zealand - stand up to the All Blacks to save the 2007 World Cup.

"We must match the All Blacks and if possible defeat them because if all the teams lose against them by 40 points there will be no World Cup," the French coach said at his team's training camp.

"We are going to try to save the World Cup from a lack of interest."

In Marseille, where the All Blacks are based for their first week in France and where they will probably set up camp during the World Cup, New Zealand coach Graham Henry said his team were bracing for a significant challenge in Saturday's Lyon test and then again in Paris a week later.

"The French are the strongest team in the northern hemisphere. We are playing in Lyon where they had a lot of success and we are playing on Armistice Day, which usually brings out the best in the French side," he said.

On paper, New Zealand are the hot favourites. They thrashed the French 45-6 the last time the two sides met in November 2004 in a match which launched a period of domination of international rugby by the All Blacks.

The match was played at the Stade de France which will host the second test on Nov. 18 and the final of the World Cup next October.

"They smashed us into pieces," Laporte admitted. "They are currently the best team in the world. They have lost only two of the last 26 matches they have played."

Surpise choices

In their last 10 games against France, the All Blacks have a record of seven wins, a draw and two defeats.

Those two losses, however, occurred on two famous occasions, the 1999 World Cup semi-final at Twickenham when France won 43-31 and a fiery game in Marseille a year later that the French clinched 42-33.

In a bid to match those successes Laporte will field what he calls his best available team with two surprise choices.

To add power to his pack he has recalled long-forgotten number eight Elvis Vermeulen, who won the last of his three caps in 2003 but got a new lease of life after borrowing a diet from his physio's mother-in-law.

France also took what team manager Jo Maso called a calculated risk with the selection of inside centre Damien Traille at flyhalf to replace the injured Frederic Michalak.

At 27, Traille has won 45 of his 46 caps at centre. He has donned the blue number 10 jersey only once, in a 36-26 win over South Africa last June in Cape Town, and four times for his club, French champions Biarritz.

Henry stayed true to his rotation policy and made 10 changes to the starting XV who won 41-20 last Sunday at Twickenham.

"Nuclear war"

Gifted first-five Dan Carter and captain Richie McCaw were retained with blindside flanker Jerry Collins and number eight Rodney So'oialo returning to the back row.

Lock Chris Jack will be rested but Ali Williams comes in while Piri Weepu will replace Byron Kelleher at scrumhalf.

Centres Conrad Smith and Luke McAlister and wings Joe Rokocoko and Sitiveni Sivivatu will face Yannick Jauzion, Florian Fritz, Christophe Dominici and Aurelien Rougerie in a top-notch match-up.

Both sides said they expected an intense physical contest.

"It promises to be a physical, bruising match and a true challenge," said Ali Williams.

"It will be war, nuclear war," stated Christophe Dominici.