Shaun Edwards warned France will be in for a "hiding" against Ireland in the Six Nations next weekend if they fail to raise their game after clinging on to beat Italy 29-24.
The defending champions needed a Matthieu Jalibert try with 14 minutes to play at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday to start the defence of their title with a bonus-point win.
First-half tries from Thibaud Flament, Thomas Ramos and debutant Ethan Dumortier put the holders well on course for victory, but an Ange Capuozzo score and three Tommaso Allan penalties meant they only led 19-14 at the break.
A penalty try that also resulted in Charles Ollivon being sent to the sin-bin and another three points for Allan sensationally put the resurgent Azzurri in front with just under 20 minutes to play.
France were able to extend their winning run to 14 matches courtesy of Jalibert's finish, but they had to withstand late pressure and Allan missed a kick at goal as Italy fell just short of claiming a famous victory.
Les Bleus face Ireland, the world's top-ranked side, at the Aviva Stadium next Saturday and defence coach Edwards says their winning streak will come to a juddering halt if they fail to improve on their display in Rome.
He told ITV Sport: "First half, we were quite dominant. They came on leaps and bounds in the second half and obviously at the end it was a very tight affair, but we are in a good habit of winning tight games at the moment.
"It happened against Australia, against South Africa, it's happened in a few games.
"Hopefully we can continue that habit, but I think we all know if we don't put up a better performance next week we'll be on the end of a 15-30 point hiding."
Indisciplined France conceded 18 penalties, although Edwards suggested the count should not have been so high.
"Certainly against the defence it's something I will be looking at this week and I'll be honest, I've been in the game for 20 years and that's the most penalties I've ever had against the defence.
"It's something we pride ourselves on with the French team in particular and all the way through with Wales, Wasps, etc. We'll have to go through it in detail with the referees, because it's the first time my defence has been penalised so much."
'Job not done' for Springboks after All Blacks triumph, says Kolisi
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi warned his team the job is far from done despite them rallying for a thrilling victory over New Zealand in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
The Springboks secured a 31-27 win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park, coming from behind with two late tries from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Grant Williams.
The victory hauled South Africa onto 14 points in the Championship standings as they bid to end New Zealand's four-year stranglehold on the title, but Kolisi says there is still work to be done.
Addressing the capacity crowd in his post-match interview, Kolisi said: "We play for a lot but you people are our number one motivation.
"We appreciate you every single day. Please don't stop. When times are tough, please keep supporting us. We cannot do it without you.
"We respect the All Blacks. No matter what people say about them, when they need to turn up, they turn up. We believed in ourselves, we didn't panic, and we did what we wanted.
"They were catching us on the exit. After the first try in the second half, we picked it up. I'm really proud of the boys but the job is not done."
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett, meanwhile, was proud of his team-mates' efforts but admitted they had just fallen short of putting together a complete performance.
"Well done to the Springboks, it showed the class team they are," he said. "We weren't quite good enough. We were good for 62 minutes and it's an 80-minute game.
"There were two key moments after kick-offs where we couldn't quite get out of our half and they punished us. It was a huge effort, we're certainly proud, but it was just not quite to be.
"We'll regroup pretty quickly. Some guys have played here for the first time. It's intense and we'll have to be better next week."
South Africa host New Zealand again in Cape Town next week, while Australia go to Argentina for their round-three matchup.
Olise receives maiden France call-up for Nations League fixtures
Michael Olise has been named in France's senior squad for the first time by Didier Deschamps for their upcoming Nations League fixtures next month.
Olise, who represented France at the Paris Olympics, is one of two players making the step up alongside Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone.
The 22-year-old impressed at the Games, helping Thierry Henry's side reach their first showpiece final since 1984, scoring twice and registering five assists.
Olise secured a reported £50.8million move to Bayern Munich prior to the Olympics after notching 16 goal involvements (10 goals and six assists) for Crystal Palace in the 2024-24 campaign.
"Michael did great things with Thierry Henry's Olympic team and he has moved up into a new category with his transfer to Bayern Munich," Deschamps told reporters.
"It is quite logical that he should now come with us. He still has progress to make but potentially he has a lot of quality."
There is also a return to the squad for Chelsea's Wesley Fofana, while Kylian Mbappe will feature on the international stage for the first time since his move to Real Madrid.
From their Euro 2024 squad, three players have been left out, including Olise's Bayern team-mate Kingsley Coman, as well as Benjamin Pavard and Adrien Rabiot.
France start their Nations League campaign against Italy on September 6 before facing Belgium three days later in a repeat of their last 16 encounter at Euro 2024.
France's squad in full:
Alphonse Areola (West Ham United), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens); Jonathan Clauss (Nice), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich); Youssouf Fofana (AC Milan), N'Golo Kante (Al Ittihad), Manu Kone (Borussia Monchengladbach), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain); Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan).
Henry steps down as France Under-21's head coach following Paris Olympics
Thierry Henry has stepped down from his role as France Under-21's head coach after guiding his side to a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
Henry, who was appointed last year on a contract until June 2025, said he was moving away from the position due to reasons personal to him.
The former Arsenal striker led Les Bleus to a first final at the Games since 1984 in Paris, but fell agonisngly short in the showpiece match against Spain.
Two goals in extra-time from Sergio Camello secured La Roja a second gold medal after France had come from 3-1 down to force extra-time at the Parc des Princes.
During his time in charge of the Olympic squad, Henry won eight of his 11 games in charge (two draws and one loss) while also scoring 31 goals in that time.
His side conceded 12 times during his tenure, with five of those coming in their gold medal match against Spain at the Games.
"I would like to thank the FFF and the president Philippe Diallo who offered me this incredible opportunity," Henry said in a statement.
"Winning the silver medal at the Olympic Games for my country will remain one of the proudest things I have ever had.
"I am incredibly grateful to the Federation, the players, the staff and the fans who have given me a magical experience."
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