France coach
Marc Lièvremont may have been accused of dallying in the
past but his starting XV to take on South Africa in Toulouse
on Friday night was unequivocal its composition. France will
take on the World Champions head on, meeting power with
power, pace with pace and aggression with aggression.
The proud
rugby city of Toulouse will play host to a heavyweight
battle in its truest sense as Lièvremont seeks to build on
the national team's summer success in New Zealand - when
they held their hosts to a highly creditable 1-1 drawn
series.
The message
Lièvremont has sent is clear throughout his team, from
gnarled props Fabien Barcella and Nicolas Mas through to a
back row of Thierry Dusautoir, Louis Picamoles and Imanol
Harinordoquy, and on to a back line with Damien Traille at
full-back (instead of the mercurial but lighter-weight
Maxime Médard) and a centre partnership of Yann David and
Maxime Mermoz.
Perpignan's
Mermoz has been the shining light of France's emerging
generation for more than a year now, and Lièvremont admitted
he toyed with the idea of replicating the Catalans' own
partnership by naming David Marty to play alongside him. But
in the end he opted for another David, the Yann variety
currently tearing up tress in the Stade Toulousain midfield.
If they gel
the Mermoz/David partnership could secure their starting
spots for years to come - and certainly the fast approaching
2011 World Cup.
"South
Africa is a very physical team and we will obviously have to
win the duels in midfield. Obviously this weighed selection
in my favour," said David after the team announcement.
Friday's
game will be only his second cap - following his debut
against Italy two years ago - but David, 21, said that
playing alongside so many internationals at Stade Toulousain
had given him newfound confidence following his summer move
from Bourgoin.
"It was more difficult to put
myself forward at Bourgoin. At Toulouse everything is much
faster. They are certainly more rigorous at all levels. I've
seen the change myself, but at the same time we have a squad
which allows rotation, so I think I'm in better shape too,
which is a good thing," he said.
Lièvremont
underlined the thought behind David's selection saying he
had opted for the youngster's "explosiveness and strength".
Up front the pack has been bolstered since the summer with
the return of Lionel Nallet and Harinordoquy, with the
latter partnering new captain Dusautoir alongside another
immense prospect in the shape of Stade Toulousain's hulking
23-year-old Picamoles.
"We picked a
back row that offers a lot of guarantees in terms of power
and experience," admitted Lièvremont.
And if
anyone was still in any doubt about what to expect then
veteran international Harinordoquy spelled it out in black
and white: "South Africa are world champions, they are the
best team in the world, but they are also the nastiest and
most physical team in the world. A team that is always
trying to hurt," he told Reuters.
"Of course,
they play inside the rules, they don't stamp on you or knee
you because now if you do that it's a yellow card or even a
red card," said the 29-year-old. "Our sport is changing but
the fundamentals are the same. A rugby game, and
particularly a game against the Springboks, is above all a
fight between packs of forwards."
All told
Lièvremont has named 10 of the starting XV which beat New
Zealand 27-22 in June, with local support having seven Stade
Toulousain players to cheer them up despite the absence of
crowd favourite Médard. He is at least among the
replacements, together with that other French icon Sébastien
Chabal.
France will
be bidding to extend a three-match home winning run against
South Africa, with the Springboks' last Test victory on
French soil being way back in 1997. Since then - when South
Africa won 52-10 in Paris - France have triumphed 20-10 (in
Paris, 2001), 30-10 (in Marseilles, 2002) and 26-20 (in
Paris, 2005).
South Africa
forwards coach Gary Gold admitted he is expecting another
feisty encounter. "They have a big strong pack and they will
be very physical," he warned. "They're the one team in the
world with New Zealand who can match our forwards with
size."
The World
Champions will name their team tomorrow (Tuesday).
France
team
Starting XV: Damien Traille (Biarritz), Vincent Clerc
(Stade Toulousain), Yann David (Stade Toulousain), Maxime
Mermoz (Perpignan), Cedric Heymans (Stade Toulousain),
Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Julien Dupuy (Stade
Francais), Fabien Barcella (Biarritz), William Servat (Stade
Toulousain), Nicolas MAs (Perpignan), Lionel Nallet
(Racing-Metro 92), Romain Millo-Chluski (Stade Toulousain),
Thierry Dusautoir (Stade Toulousain, Capt), Imanol
Harinordoquy (Biarritz), Louis Picamoles (Stade Toulousain).
Replacements: Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Francais),
Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Francais), Sébastien Chabal
(Racing-Metro 92), Julien Bonnaire (Clermont Auvergne),
Morgan Parra (Clermont Auvergne), David Marty (Perpignan),
Maxime Médard (Stade Toulousain).
