Philippe Saint-Andre’s troops were looking to return to winning ways against England on Saturday having been beaten by Italy and Wales in their opening two RBS 6 Nations fixtures.

However, despite going into half-time 10-9 ahead thanks mainly to centre Wesley Fofana’s stunning individual try, France only added three more points after the break as they lost 23-13.

Manu Tuilagi’s try and two late penalties from replacement Toby Flood proved the difference with France now battling to avoid the wooden spoon with two games remaining.

They travel to Ireland on March 9 before welcoming Scotland to Paris a week later and Mas wants France to show courage in the face of adversity.

“Their try really turned the game. The positive thing is the team did not give up. It was a very difficult match, physically demanding but we stood up and were counted,” said Mas.

“The scrum was an area where England were waiting for us; we wanted to show them that we were there. Wherever you are on the pitch it’s good to win penalties from scrums.

“We have a lot of things to work on, that’s clear. We believed right until the end but the last 20 minutes were very tough.

“There is a lot of disappointment after the defeat in England but we need to stick together and believe in ourselves.”