[1] Vincent Clerc Leading Rugby World Cup try-scorer Vincent Clerc has pin-pointed why the rampant All Blacks are worried about an apparently divided French outfit in Sunday's tournament finale.
Clerc sounded like Don Quixote from The Man of La Mancha on Thursday as he dreamed the supposedly impossible dream in the form of victory over the All Blacks at Eden Park.
"We are drawn to difficulty; we like difficulty," said dangerous Les Bleus winger Clerc.
"It allows usto bring out the best in ourselves, it allows us to believe in the impossible. It's a French default."
While the All Blacks have powered through six matches, not once being truly challenged, France's fortunate campaign has included two defeats and epitomised by their scrappy 9-8 semi-final victory over a 14-man Wales.
The uninspiring win - earned after Wales narrowly missed two late kicks at goal - was slammed by their own media, and had coach Marc Lievremont later describing his players as whining "spoilt brats" after some went out to celebrate.
Hardly anyone in New Zealand gives the rank underdogs - humiliated 19-12 by lowly Tonga three weeks ago - a chance, and an Irish bookmaking firm even declared they were already paying out on bets for the All Blacks to end their 24-year tournament hoodoo.
But New Zealand's players and coaches, bitten hard by bewildering French World Cup upsets in 1999 and 2007, have been talking them up and bracing for a backlash all week.
Injured superstar Dan Carter joined the chorus today, calling the French the "arch-nemesis" of the tournament hosts.
Carter went down with injury in the 2007 quarter-final loss in Cardiff and also knows from his experience playing in France, for Perpignan in 2008-09, how unpredictable and dangerous French players are in cut-throat encounters.
"They're our arch-nemesis at World Cup time and we all know the past that we've had with the French," he said.
"They're such a dangerous side, especially when their backs are against the wall and having a lot of doubters, that's when they step up and they've shown that in 2007 and also in 1999.
"So we have to expect the unexpected and the French are the best at doing something to surprise us."
Clerc has played every minute in Les Bleus' campaign, which has featured just the one impressive win - a 19-12 quarter-final upset of England.
The veteran winger, who has crossed six times to be the joint leading try-scorer with England's Chris Ashton, is a survivor of the 20-18 upset of New Zealand in Cardiff four years ago.
He sees plenty of similarities, especially as they weren't given a chance in the 2007 quarter-final because an opening pool loss to Argentina pitched them into an unlikely contest away from France.
"We are by ourselves at the other end of the world and it was the same when we were in Cardiff ... we ended up with no French people and we were alone," he recalled.
"Often against the All Blacks, it's these circumstances where you always see them as winners.
"It's a logical thing when you lose against them. It's up to us to bring out the best in ourselves.
"But I think in some ways it's thanks to that that we've been able to upset them.
"We haven't always played perfect rugby but we have been able to beat them in the past."
Like the French, the All Blacks are set to name an unchanged starting 15 when they announce their team on Friday morning.
Sonny Bill Williams is set to remain on the bench despite his yellow card in the 20-6 semi-final win over Australia for a shoulder charge, but there could be one change to the reserves with fit-again flanker Adam Thomson challenging Victor Vito.
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