Lievremont: Believes his side can win

While the All Blacks have reached this point unbeaten, Les Bleus have already lost twice, once against the tournament hosts and also to Tonga.

Lievremont himself described New Zealand's semi-final destruction of Australia as "exceptional" but insists his side can upset the odds on Sunday.

He said: "We are in the final match and every time we play them (New Zealand) it is the same thing. They are always the favourites, but I believe in my team and I believe we can win.

"It is always the same when it comes down to the All Blacks.

"In the first half of the match [against Australia] they were very strong and aggressive and they were impressive. In the second half it was the same thing and the All Blacks dominated.

"You know, I expect the best from the All Blacks, and I think they played their best rugby in that match. They were exceptional."

France's World Cup campaign has been littered with constant suggestions of rifts in the camp between Lievremont and his players.

And he fanned the flames himself earlier this weekend when he described some of them as "spoiled brats" for going out to celebrate the victory over Wales when he asked them not to.

But Lievremont said: "I think I said those things to put pressure on them.

"And when I read the headlines the next day and saw my words in the written press, I thought to myself that I had missed an opportunity to keep my mouth shut. What we need to do now is focus on our solidarity and our aggression."

Lievremont will become the first man to feature in a World Cup final as a player and coach this weekend - he was part of Les Bleus' beaten 1999 team - but he added: "It is very difficult to compare the two roles.

"But often what it comes down to is the small details.

"I think my first words to the players when we came to the World Cup was that everything counts, mentally and physically, and we need to be able to do everything in our power to win this match."

France: 15 Maxime Medard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Aurelien Rougerie, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Alexis Palisson, 10 Morgan Parra, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Imanol Harinordoquy, 7 Julien Bonnaire, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (capt), 5 Lionel Nallet, 4 Pascal Pape, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 William Servat, 1 Jean Baptiste Poux.