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• Galthie hails 'special match' as France edge to narrow win over All Blacks

  Fabien Galthie says it was a "special match" after France edged past New Zealand 30-29 on Saturday.

  The All Blacks held the lead at half-time as tries from Peter Lakai and Cam Roigard helped put them 17-10 up, with Romain Buros powering over on his debut to keep France in touching distance.

  However, the hosts flipped the script in the second half, coming out strong as Paul Boudehent dotted down after a powerful maul to help level the scoreline.

  Louis Bielle-Biarrey then gave them the lead, and though Damien McKenzie's penalties kept the All Blacks on France's heels, Tomas Ramos also stayed perfect with his kicks, doing enough to help them record a third straight win over New Zealand.

  Les Bleus had gone 14 games without a win against New Zealand prior to this run, while it is the first time since 1994-95 they have managed three in a row against their opponents.

  Galthie was delighted with his players' focus to ensure they overcame the half-time deficit.

  "It was a special match; we know the opponent. When you see the scenario of the match, winning by one point, it brings back memories," he told TF1.

  "We have six years of experience with this team. For a few years, we have had arguments, we have identified how to play them, we are sticking to this roadmap. We had to keep our heads down.

  "At half-time, we found solutions. It's a close call, but a point is a lot. I am very proud, this is the third time we have hosted them. Three times we have beaten them. We have confidence. They have given us weaknesses, cracks."

  New Zealand, meanwhile, saw a five-game winning run ended as they suffered their first defeat since early September.

  Ardie Savea admitted that they struggled against France's aggressiveness in the second half, and was disappointed they did not deal with the threat better.

  "Extremely disappointed with ourselves not to win the game. We made silly mistakes. We turned the ball over to this French squad, which can punish us and they did. I'm pretty gutted," he told TNT Sports.

  "Of course, you [have to credit France in the second half]. We felt like we were in control, and we were pretty accurate in the first half, but in the second half, we let them in the game.

  "They applied pressure on us, and we couldn't handle it. Towards the end, we just got stuck in our line and we couldn't do it. I'm extremely disappointed but proud of the boys.

  "We didn't hit our targets. We want to win everything, but we couldn't, and that's credit to the French squad, they're a quality side. We have to look in the mirror and see where we could've put the nail in the coffin because we didn't do that."

• Carsley hopes 'young' England will benefit incoming boss Tuchel

  England interim manager Lee Carsley said the widened pool of young players available for selection will help incoming boss Thomas Tuchel.

  Carsley was handed the reins to the national team temporarily following Gareth Southgate's departure and has given opportunities to young players during his short spell, which will end with the Nations League match against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday. 

  The 50-year-old has handed debuts to six players - Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes, Noni Madueke, Lewis Hall, Morgan Rogers and Curtis Jones - during his five-match reign. 

  "The challenge [for the young players] is to stay there now. It's a tough squad to get into, and they've put themselves in the picture," the outgoing coach said. 

  "It's good for Thomas [Tuchel, who takes charge on January 1] that the pool has increased.

  "I've seen them up close. I know what they're capable of, and they've got the mentality to compete. There are so many quality players, the competition is extreme, and they've got to stay in the race."

  Carsley came under pressure after the Three Lions lost 2-1 to Greece at Wembley in October, but a 3-0 win in the return fixture on Thursday has put them in a strong position in their Nations League group. 

• Kane club versus country comments 'just a reminder' to England withdrawals

  Harry Kane says his comments on club versus country got more attention than he expected and were "just a reminder" to his team-mates instead of a criticism.

  England suffered nine injury withdrawals after Lee Carsley's squad was announced, with Kane seemingly questioning the commitment of those who dropped out, saying "England comes before everything".

  Despite their many absences, a young England side recorded a 3-0 win over Greece on Thursday to send them top of their Nations League group.

  However, the Three Lions have since seen a 10th withdrawal from the squad, with Ezri Konsa returning to Aston Villa after going off with a hip complaint in that game.

  Speaking for the first time since that interview, Kane explained he was keen to preserve the team culture Gareth Southgate fostered by using these international breaks effectively.

  "All the players try and give their best whenever they come with England. I know it's a really tough stage of the season," he said in a press conference.

  "Whoever is in the squad is the most important thing. Whatever we have here is all we can work with.

  "Going forward there are always going to be injuries, it is just whoever is with the squad is ready to make a difference."

  On the attention his comments got, Kane added: "I didn't expect it to get as much coverage as it did. The November camp has always been difficult - you're in the heart of a lot of games.

  "So, it's just my opinion that it is really important after a major championship, where September, October, November camps are really important in a year ahead to the World Cup.

  "These are the camps as well where you build that culture and that togetherness that lead you into a World Cup. It was just a reminder that it's really, really special to play for England."

  Kane started the match against Greece on the bench, with Ollie Watkins leading the line in his place. The Villa forward scored seven minutes in, before being replaced by the England captain in the 66th minute.

  Interim boss Carsley, who is taking charge of his final game before Thomas Tuchel takes over on January 1, confirmed that Kane would be back in the starting line-up against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.

  "Yes, he is definitely playing," Carsley said.

  "With Harry Kane, you always think goals, but he brings a lot more to the squad and the team than that. His leadership skills, he's a good guy, which is really important as well.

  "The example he sets to the younger players, he's a crucial part of the England team and also moving forward."

  England and Greece are both level on 12 points after five games, but the former have a better head-to-head goal difference, so a win over Ireland would see them promoted back to League A.