France head coach Marc
Lièvremont has ensured he and his team get a vociferous
reception at Twickenham on Saturday after admitting they
don't overly care for their Anglo-Saxon neighbours.
His exact words were
actually somewhat stronger, with the former France winger
declaring: "We don't like them, and it's better to say that
than be hypocritical".
Lièvremont's comments were
made from the sanctuary of France's national training base
at Marcoussis - on the outskirts of Paris - and it's not
clear whether they were intended to boost his own team, or
rile their in-form opponents.
Both teams go into the
weekend clash knowing the victor will probably claim this
year's Six Nations championship, and possibly the Grand
Slam, and Lièvremont is clearly trying to avoid a repeat of
the French side's no-show when they were thrashed 34-10 in
the corresponding fixture two years ago.
France will journey to
England this time as both defending champions and Grand Slam
winners, with each team having won both of their opening
games.
France have triumphed at
home to Scotland and away to Ireland, and their coach said
both vanquished teams had wished his side luck in taking on
the English.
"We appreciate our Italian
cousins, with whom we share the same quality of life. We
appreciate the Celts and their conviviality, and then among
all these nations we have one huge thing in common - we all
don't like the English," he explained.
"We beat Ireland yet left
Dublin with the encouragement of all the Irish who said 'For
pity's sake beat the English'," he added. "With the Scots
it's the same thing. It is also what gives you strength
against the English, more than just because of rugby."
But Lièvremont admitted
that he respected the current England side, admitting they
were ahead of France in terms of World Cup planning.
"This insular country, who
always drape themselves in the national flag, their hymns,
their chants, their traditions. They are people who one
regards as a very proud people. But we are also aware, in
terms of planning and preparation, that the English are
already in 2011 World Cup mode. We can feel that all of the
English players are physically on a different level," he
added.
Lièvremont's comments echo
those last week of England's France-based lock Tom Palmer,
and it seems this Championship showdown won't lack for
pre-match build-up.
England could yet name captain Lewis Moody
in their side for the first time in this year's competition
after he successfully came through a 22-minute cameo for
Bath at the weekend.
Martin Johnson doesn't
plan to name his starting XV until Thursday, giving Moody
the maximum possible time to continue to his rehab from
recent knee ligament damage. The former Leicester Tigers
flanker has been out for five weeks, but he was clearly
delighted with his comeback.
"I've been with England
over the last three weeks, been part of everything and it
has been great," said Moody. "I said all along I
wanted to get back for the French game and while it's been
soul-destroying it's been great to see the boys playing so
well in my absence."
Moody praised the
"cracking job" performed by stand-in captain Mike Tindall
and said England's progress of late was reward for the
squad's hard work. "We now have a raft of players Martin
Johnson can call upon and the more players you have
competing for positions, the better for the team," he added.
