Inside centre: Wesley Fofana
France coach Philippe Saint-André has made seven changes and one positional change to his starting XV to face England at Twickenham.
Wesley Fofana is moved from the wing to partner Mathieu Bastareaud in the centre, with Vincent Clerc taking his place on the right wing after being recalled.
Morgan Parra and Francois Trinh-Duc will form a new half-back pairing, with Frederic Michalak and Maxime Machaneaud named on the bench.
In the forwards, Thomas Domingo and Benjamin Kayser will form a new-look front row alongside Nicolas Mas, with Christophe Samson coming in at second row to replace Jocelino Suta who is amongst the replacements.
The final change sees Yannick Nyanga form an all-Toulouse back-row alongside club team-mates Thierry Dusautoir, who captains the side, and Louis Picamoles.
South African-born number-eight Antoine Claassen could make his debut from the bench.
France: 15 Yoann Huget, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Benjamin Fall, 10 Francois Trinh-Duc, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Christophe Samson, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Thomas Domingo.
Replacements: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Luc Ducalcon, 19 Jocelino Suta, 20 Antoine Claassen, 21 Maxime Machenaud, 22 Frederic Michalak, 23 Florian Fritz.
Kick-off: 17:00
Venue: Twickenham
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: John Lacey (Ireland), Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Television match official: Jim Yuille (Scotland)
Comments
KiwiRooster says...
Quite frankly, if anyone neutral had to chose between Youngs Farrell and Parra Trinh-Duc, they would probably chose the Poms'.
Even I who is not a great fan of English rugby has to admire that classy half-back combination from the land with no sunlight.
The raw pace of Youngs, the intelligence of Farrell, I am sorry but in 4 years Parra and Trinh-Duc brought nothing of that. I do not see them capable of pulling a rabbit out of this one. Youngs and Farrell would have to shoot themselves in the front foot to be undermined by that particularly hopeless French pairing.
The only thing that may kill England this weekend is Farrell becoming overconfident. For that matter, I may have read him the wrong way but at times I thought to have seen an hint of self-satisfaction in that young man. Nothing wrong with that except when it goes to your head. Time will tell. Well, this afternoon in fact!
Yet I think there is more chance to watch Tuilagi and Bastareaud joining together to punch Ashton on the nose, than to witness France beating England. However, with Fofana at centre, Clerc back, who knows...
Posted 07:17 23rd February 2013
KiwiRooster says...
@Rosbif Medard is very much in the same case as Domingo and Dussautoir unfortunately: far away from his best form with very little game time in his legs.
Myself I would have chosen a specialist fullback in Buttin. (arguably Poitrenaud is getting better with age but not a good bet for RWC 2015)
If polyvalence was the way to go, I may have picked Palisson rather than Médard, maybe just, but this time to play him at fullback, not on the wing. Palisson is one of those collateral victims of the Top 14. These types of players would enjoy Super 15 so much more it makes me sigh for them.
It is amazing how the lack of ambitious gameplay can turn a classy exhuberant fullback (remember his nerve facing Mortlock and Tuqiri for his first selection) into a frail casualty. Since his successive concussions, Palisson has lost some of its audaciousness and it is begging to be restored. He is wearing a helmet now which says it all about his level of confidence. This is what happened when you ask a fullback to be nothing else but the last man standing and everyone play the man, not the ball. Players in the Top 14 are overly subdued in my view, there is no room for a creative spirit and at the end it is nothing short of a meat grinder and a loss for rugby.
Gosh I just realised how hostile I can be towards that freaking Top 14. It is really killing French rugby, it is my general feeling anyway.
Posted 06:47 23rd February 2013
KiwiRooster says...
@lyhel Marvin O'Connor is an absolute gem of a winger in my view. I suspect he may not stay in Bayonne very long if anyone in the Top 14 is willing to play a more ambitious game than most.
Think of a young Cedric Heymans. O'Connor is the straight opposite of Fall. While Fall needs room to launch his reactors, O'Connor is far more explosive, no space needed here, he is just as good in the air only with more velocity (due to his bulkier body frame). He really has it all: strong legs, excellent passing, endurance, great vision and most of all great technique. Just like Heymans (whom I always found more creative than Clerc) O'Connor has an amazing ability to alternate running, passing, kicking or find his partners if he has to. There is no doubt he has unherited some of his father's rugby league genes.
Marvin O'Connor should have been part of this tournament but he is a specialist left winger and this is precisely what I don't like in France. A coach overthere is always ready to sacrifice a World-class specialist for an average utility player.
Remember that for pretty much every French coach out there, the search for the perfect "utility player" has gone on and on forever. Never found one. Hence the reason why rugby fans all over the World had the atrocious dismay to witness Damien Traille playing at fullback and fly-half.
Personal advice to PSA: trade with care with that unknown quality that is the "utility player", or even better do not try this at all. It is a waste of far better specialist. O'Connor is 22, so what is all the wait for?
Frankly, when I see the way Marc Lievremont wasted both Wisniewski and Estebanez to finally dismiss Trinh-Duc and Jauzion at the very end (admitting in the process how far they were from international form), one must wonder what balls PSA needs to break with all those habits that made French rugby an everlasting 2nd best.
Posted 06:21 23rd February 2013
Iyhel says...
@kiwirooster: oh and just to stir the pot, we've seen AB teams with 4 centres during the last WC and it worked great ;)
Posted 18:05 22nd February 2013
Iyhel says...
@ Kiwirooster: totally agree regarding Trin-Dhuc, he'd be a perfect 2nd 5/8 (provided that a French tactician knew this concept); and totally disagree about our scrum halves, especially for Parra; so I would have gone (fro the very start, no punishment for Machenaud!) for Parra-Michalak, which is close to my perfect half-back pair, in line with Elissalde-... Michalak! Almost interchangeable, with Parra to boss those lazy but talented forwards of ours.
And finally I completely support your back three analysis except for the fact that I'm yet to see O'Connor play so I don't know him - but relying on yours and many others advice he really looks promising!
@Rosbif: why 10-men rugby? With Parra who can kick, we could even stick to 9-men rugby... (wingers wouldn't much less ball than know anyway)
That's how we won our last GS by the way.
Oh and if you field Parra, give him the damn captaincy! (to kick those lazy but talented forwards a kick in the ... But maybe I'm repeating myself)
Posted 18:03 22nd February 2013
timmo says...
huget is weak. otherwise a better selection. france have got nothing to lose that is the only danger to england otherwise england are a better team and expect a solid win at home.
Posted 14:29 22nd February 2013
ernie715 says...
Was hoping that Bastareaud at 12 and Fofana at 13.
Posted 12:59 22nd February 2013
Rosbif says...
@KiwiRooster. Thanks for your quality input once again! I can't help thinking PSA could take advantage of the polyvalence of some of his players to better effect, i.e. on the bench. For example, if you wanted to really take on the forward battle vs England and smash every single breakdown for the full 80 mins, why not load the bench with 6 forwards? We all know there are enough quality backrowers in France to have 2 on the bench. Then you have Michalak (covering 9 and 10) and say Medard/Poitrenaud (covering 13 and 15) as the back replacements. And only bring them on in case of genuine injury.
Why can't France just play simple 10 man rugby to get their confidence back? Kick their goals. Win their scrums, lineouts, re-starts and up-and-unders. Defend like heroes. Then the lack of fluidity from 11-15 in attack would not matter. Winning would be the best tonic.
Just a thought.....
Posted 12:48 22nd February 2013
BradS says...
That's more like it PSA!
Posted 08:04 22nd February 2013
KiwiRooster says...
Still not the best French team in my view. Far from it.
First of all, Forestier was the best prop in the French squad since day one. Domingo has not recovered his best form and yet PSA is switching the two against England. First nonsense.
Secondly, the half-back pairing of Machenaud-Michalak, from hero to zero. How come they are so wonderful with specialists at the back (Dulin fullback, etc) and not so wonderful with centres, wingers and fullback out of position? Well, if you ask me the answer is in the question. Give Dan Carter a centre on the wing and a winger at fullback, maybe the All Blacks won't score so many tries. Lucky for them, they will never do it at first place because they know a cat from a dog.
For that reason, and because having your scrum-half running 80 meters forward is not a crime, I would have kept Machenaud-Michalak against England.
Thirdly, the back three (11-15-14) my oh my, this is where all the trouble came from.
The pairing of Fofana and Bastareaud at centre is a promising one if PSA gives it a chance to mature and stop having wet dreams of Fofana as a winger. I reckon Fritz, Fickou and maybe David will have their chance from the bench in the future. But for now it is Fofana-Bastareaud time. No problem with PSA there.
But the back three. Clerc is back at 14, okay why not. He is a World-Class finisher. But for all the record breaking due to its excellent finishing ability, you always need a fire starter. And France does not have any here. Clerc and Fall are both finishers but do not start much. Huget starts a lot more than these two but he is a specialist winger at fullback. The obvious solution was Huget at 14, Clerc at 11 and a specialist fullback to replace Dulin (take Buttin for instance).
Or even better, take two fire starters on each wings: O'Connor (I say it again: O'CONNOR!!!!) and Huget with a specialist fullback.
Posted 07:48 22nd February 2013
KiwiRooster says...
In the recent era France must have been the most retarded of all rugby nations when it comes to half-back selection. Its comprehension of what makes a good scrum-half and fly-half (1st 5/8) is absolutely hopeless. French clubs are vastly responsible for that.
I mean take a simple look at all the World-class number 9 and 10 in recent times:
9: Galthie, Gregan, Dawson, Kelleher, Stinger, Mignoni, Cowan, Genia, Fotuali'i, Phillips, Youngs, Care.
10: Larkham, Carter, O'Connor, Michalak, Cooper, Wilkinson, Hook, Flood, Farrell, Barnes, Cruden.
Isn't the difference in attributes between those two short list striking enough? You do not need to be the brightest playing at 9, you need to have guts, to have a big mouth and to have bite. Playing at 10 is the exact opposite, you need sophistication, technique and great vision.
So now tell me, which of the two list Parra, Yachvili and Michalak fit the best? The "pitbull" list or the "aristocrat" list? I feel sorry for France but none of these guys strike me as grunty, fierceful, high velocity players. They are all number 10 gone bad.
It is okay to have a number 10 playing at 9 as long as he understands the difference between the two. Parra, Yachvili and Michalak never did. Very few players are capable of switching from one position to another Ellissalde and Weepu being the two exceptions I remember. Ellissalde at 9 was not the same player as Ellissalde at 10, he was switching attributes on and off.
Trinh-Duc is the cherry on the cake since he is neither a 9 nor a 10. He was clearly a center in the vein of Aaron Mauger or Conrad Smith. French rugby screwed it up, again.
Posted 07:24 22nd February 2013
KiwiRooster says...
@pierredelot1 "playing a proper 10" (...)
Well, although I do appreciate the rather disturbing fact most French supporters still consider Michalak to be a number 9, I will never understand those who still believe Trinh-Duc to be a 10.
You don't have to go very far in time to witness Trinh-Duc most obvious weakness: just go two weeks back to that infamous Welsh game in Paris. Remember Trinh-Duc right in front of the post, in the opponents 22. What did he go for? Find his wingers with the boot? Sorry mate, can't do. Maybe simply run the ball? Sorry mate, still can't do. Okay then how about a drop-goal attempt? Sure thing, much safer option, can do. Oopsy daisy, just missed... eur like every other time in the past 4 years shall I say.
So, Trinh-Duc is a number 10, really? Well yeah if you take Luke McAllister at 12 to cover for his many shortages maybe, but lucky enough for him McAllister is not French so he never had to face the humiliation to play scrum-half for instance...
Mr T would certainly say: "No I don't hate Trinh-Duc. I pity the fool who played him at 10."
Honestly anyone thinking of Trinh-Duc as a 10 has been missing the last World Cup or the past 4 years of international rugby for that matter.
Being in his opponents 22 and going for the drop goal is all Trinh-Duc has ever done and why is that? Because while Trinh-Duc does have the intuition like most World-class fly-half, he never had the technique unlike Michalak.
Truth is, Morgan Parra makes a far better number 10 than Trinh-Duc.
France loves to have its playmaker at number 9, unfortunately the rest of the planet calls it a number 10, hence the confusion for French clubs such as RC Toulon.
Michalak is a 10, Parra is a 10, Yachvili is a 10, France has a knack to waste their most technical playmakers at number 9. Incidently, this is also why French flair is dead and burried. Ask Wayne Smith.
Posted 06:26 22nd February 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
As I've said in a couple of posts this month. Bastareaud vs Tuilagi; its written in the stars. Was quite unlikely a week ago but I'm very excited. Think this will be one we talk of in a decades time. High scoring close high tension. And I am glad France have selected well. I don't want an England run built on playing coaching mess ups. On club form the French team is awesome. Pre tournament favourites vs current tournament favourites. Game of the tournament. May the best team win. Good ref, clean, tough with no yellows reds no bad injuries and no rain please.
Posted 20:52 21st February 2013
Lastman says...
If he had picked this team earlier they would be 2 from 2 now! Not sure who will win this one but France will score more tries. Hope that's enough.
Posted 20:21 21st February 2013
Lucasrg says...
Finally....now this is the France I wanted to see on paper. Tough day for the English as the France, as underdogs, are the most difficult side to play against on earth.
I hose is going to be an epic game.
Posted 20:11 21st February 2013
blametheref says...
This French line up should beat England...especially as France have really nothing much to lose as they've lost whatever that was in the first 2 matches...This French line up will be out to prove a point, and if there's one team in the world that are unstoppable when they've a point to prove it's France. A good punt to win at 5/2 with the bookies
Posted 16:32 21st February 2013
apr7 says...
i'm worried like many other posters about the lack of a real fullback. Maybe Farrell, Goode and Brown will try to kick lots of balls to an unexperienced fullback like Huget. The bench don't have a wing cover, like @Axax said before, and France will be playing the same boring song with Fofana at wing, such a waste of talent.
Posted 15:47 21st February 2013
carpelone says...
NHsaints & JamieTheProp
I trust you both. I thought Hartley is a bit inclined to push upwards and be a liability. I dont remember having seen Lawes playing at 6.
Posted 15:09 21st February 2013
NHsaints says...
@carpelone not weird at all...Hartley is the better hooker albeit not the better player of the game than youngs and Lawes is a more than capable 6.
Posted 13:50 21st February 2013
froggy73 says...
Geeeezzzz PSA at last you are filling a team that actually looks like a rugby team. We are now going from a 1% chance to win to 20%
Posted 13:07 21st February 2013