Nyanga demands ´no more excuses´ from France

Yannick Nyanga has declared France have 'no more excuses' not to be more successful in the 2014 Six Nations. France endured their worst ever Six Nations last year with Les Bleus claiming the wooden spoon with one win and one draw from five games. Their Six Nations campaign mirrored 2013 in general with France finishing the year with two wins and eight defeats, and Nyanga does not want to hear about good performances anymore if they are not converted into victories. "The cohesion off the pitch has always been good," the 30-year-old flanker said. "On the pitch it's true that we were lacking in certain matches the ability to convert our chances. "The top level is about winning and that's what's missing. "We can no longer afford to say we played well, that we weren't far away, that we don't have enough time to prepare. "Today there are no more excuses. We need to play well and win." France will open the 2014 Six Nations by hosting England on Saturday and Nyanga hopes Les Bleus have learnt enough from last year to start with a win. "(In 2013) we competed with teams like New Zealand at Eden Park (a 23-13 defeat) and in France (a 26-19 loss) where it was decided by little details," Nyanga said. "Against South Africa (a 19-10 defeat) it was the same, we started with a 7-0 deficit (after gifting the Springboks an early try)... I hope we've learned. "Now it's up to us to show we're not so daft. "Some people lose a lot and don't learn from it. I hope we're not at that stage, that we have a bit of something about us and pride, which we'll show on Saturday."