All Blacks under pressure to improve in second Test against France

The All Blacks are at a crossroads as they head into Saturday's second rugby Test against France.

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After a fumbling performance in the first Test in which they needed a late penalty to hold out a severely weakened French team, players and coaching staff are under pressure to produce huge improvement in the second match at Wellington.

New Zealand was expected to easily beat a French team stripped of most of their Six Nations stars. Instead, they struggled to assert any dominance, losing the aerial contest and at the breakdown.

Head coach Scott Robertson has laid down a challenge to players by naming a lineup which has only been changed in response to injuries. In doing so, he has placed pressure on players who under-performed last week to win more convincingly.

"I think the narrative has changed a little bit around what team they've brought," Robertson said. "We're focusing a little bit on continuity.

"We want to give the players a chance to build their combinations. This is three-test series. We've got one down and there's a big one on Saturday."