New Zealand hat-trick hero Julian Savea warns World Cup rivals: The best is yet to come

The man who tore France apart with a hat-trick has warned that the reigning champions have yet to hit top gear.

New Zealand, who scored nine tries as they beat France 62-13 in a blistering display in Cardiff on Saturday, are two wins away from becoming the first team to retain the World Cup.

But Julian Savea, who took his international tally to 38 tries in 39 games, insists the best is yet to come from the All Blacks.

“There’s improvement to come,” said Savea ahead of their semi-final against South Africa at Twickenham next weekend. “That’s what gets us excited, knowing that we can improve.”

The 25-year-old’s trio of tries took his tally for the tournament to eight, level with the record for a World Cup shared by Jonah Lomu (1999) and Bryan Habana (2007). Savea’s hat-trick led to plaudits from Habana himself on Twitter, which the All Black described as “awesome” before swatting away the regular comparisons to Lomu.

“No one compares to Jonah,” said Savea. “He’s amazing. I’ve watched him run into people and it’s awesome to be compared to him and an honour but I’m just doing the best job I can. I think everyone was on fire. It was an outstanding performance.”

Dan Carter, who kicked 17 points against the French, echoed Savea’s comments that there is more to come from New Zealand.

The fly-half said: “It wasn’t technically perfect and it can get better but the desire and willingness is there.”