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With the Rugby World Cup in France fast approaching, two former All Blacks took it upon themselves to give kiwis a taste of what the host country has to offer.

\\u2018Izzy and Beaver\\u2019s French Connection\\u2019 follows Israel Dagg and Stephen Donald on an action-packed tour through France, taking in the sights and scenery, meeting new people, and, of course, causing a bit of mischief.

The French have a bit of a reputation when it comes to tourists, English-speaking tourists in particular. However, Dagg and Donald told Newstalk ZB\\u2019s Mike Hosking that as soon as they found out that they were Kiwis they were perfectly welcoming.

\\u201cIf they think you\\u2019ve got any resemblance with England they don\\u2019t want a bar of ya,\\u201d Dagg told Hosking.

\\u201cBut as soon as you tell them you\\u2019re from New Zealand, they jump straight into the All Blacks chat.\\u201d

Throughout the show, Dagg\\u2019s love of food, wine, and culture is on display, while Donald indulges his love of history, taking the lead on planning, though not on driving.

\\u201cI was driving,\\u201d Dagg joked with the Newstalk ZB host. \\u201cI was driving and he would sleep the whole time.\\u201d

While the pair visited all sorts of places on their trip, they developed a fondness for the little pieces of history.

The pair visited Pont du Gard, the Roman aqueduct in N\\xeemes, and the S\\xe9nanque Abbey in Gordes.

\\u201cIt\\u2019s the places we never would\\u2019ve gone to,\\u201d Stephen said. \\u201cThey blew our minds.\\u201d

But even if you take the boys out of New Zealand, you can\\u2019t take New Zealand out of the boys, and Saint-Tropez was a favourite as well. \\u201cOnce we hit the coastline? It was awesome,\\u201d Donald told Mike Hosking.

France is known for its cheese and wine, and according to the pair, it lived up to the hype: \\u201cwe came back about 28 kilos heavier than we left,\\u201d Dagg joked with Hosking.

And as for the World Cup itself, both boys are backing the All Blacks, despite their disastrous showing against South Africa.

\\u201cI feel like it was a mindset thing, they were on different spectrums.\\u201d Dagg said of the South Africa loss.

\\u201cDump that one and move on,\\u201d Donald agreed.

Another thing they agreed on was Ireland, giving them \\u201cno chance.\\u201d

\\u201cI know people are saying they\\u2019re ranked number one in the world, but I think World Cups are different.\\u201d

Where they disagreed was the final - Dagg\\u2019s betting on the All Blacks and France battling it out again, \\u201clike in 2011.\\u201d

But Donald thinks it\\u2019ll be South Africa taking on the All Blacks.

\\u201cThe South African-All Black final hasn\\u2019t happened for a while. I reckon we\\u2019re long overdue it,\\u201d he told Newstalk ZB.

\\u2018Izzy and Beaver\\u2019s French Connection\\u2019 premieres Sunday 10th of September at 6:30pm on Bravo.

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