France have upgraded their team and will run high on emotion when chasing a series clean sweep in the second rugby Test on Saturday, according to All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith.

Maintaining his reputation as a selection tinkerer, French coach Marc Lievremont has found room for three new faces in his starting team who outplayed New Zealand 27-22 at Dunedin last Saturday, including two in an impressive tight five.

Renowned hard man Sebastien Chabal is at lock, packing behind introduced prop Nicholas Mas, while two-Test centre Maxime Mermoz adds more speed and flair to a backline which defended stoutly but failed to light up Carisbrook.

Backs expert Smith believes Perpignan whiz kid Mermoz had outplayed the man he replaces, Mathieu Bastareaud of Stade Francais, in the recent French club semifinal and will provide another dimension for the tourists.

More importantly, France will bring with them confidence and genuine motivation, something they have historically needed to play at their best.

They can become just the sixth team to win a Test series on New Zealand soil, following the 1937 Springboks, 1949 Wallabies, 1971 British Lions, 1986 Wallabies and 1994 French tourists.

"I think we'll be up against a really determined French team, probably an emotional French team that want to try to repeat history from '94," Smith told NZPA.

"For that reason alone, they're going to be up there and bloody difficult."

Veteran tighthead Sylvain Marconnet makes way for Mas but Smith made particular note that Pascal Pape had been replaced by Chabal, who charged around Wellington's Westpac Stadium with intent in a losing cause two years ago, breaking the jaw of All Blacks lock Ali Williams in the process.

A cult figure in Europe, Chabal was surrounded by New Zealand journalists on Thursday, partly because he is one of the few fluent English speakers among the tourists.

The bearded 31-year-old expects a superior challenge from an All Blacks forward pack which was strangely flat from kickoff at Carisbrook.

"Normally the All Blacks are very aggressive and very physical but maybe it was a bad day for them," he said.

"I think we were much more physical than them and then they started to put their head down. I think that was the key to us winning.

"When you have a win you have to be more confident but we know it will be really difficult in Wellington. I think we will play well because we have trained hard."

The All Blacks were originally scheduled to have a day off today but instead organised an extra training session.

Smith said the morning hitout reflected a desire to squeeze as much information as possible into the players in the early part of the international season, as well as further pushing their own boundaries.

"We're trying to raise the bar, trying to raise the intensity into this week," he said.

"And normally this time of the year there's an understanding that you can't get all of the work into them (players) overnight.

"The players are fine about it. Their lives are centred around winning, they'll do anything."

Smith rejected a suggestion that turning around a poor All Blacks first test performance was among the hardest challenges of his coaching career.

He said he had faced stiffer tasks, with more at stake.

"How could it be more challenging than when we lost in Sydney last year and everyone said we're going to get last in the Tri-Nations? There's no comparison," he said.

"There have been a lot tougher times in my career but it's good. I'm really enjoying it."

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