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Injury blow: Jean-Baptiste
Elissalde is out for six weeks
Photo: Michael Paler |
Marc Lièvremont's taste for tinkering looks set to continue
despite France’s
heroic Six Nations win against Wales
in Paris.
The French head coach
has more than hinted he expects to make changes for the
forthcoming clash with England, telling reporters: “There’s
a chance we’ll surprise you, upset you and upset some of my
players.”
Business as usual for
Les Bleus then.
Stade Toulousain centre
Florian Fritz seems certain to come back into contention
after serving his three-week ban – possibly at the expense
of impressive debutant Mathieu Bastareaud.
Other players being
tipped for a call to arms include Clermont’s massive winger
Aurélien Rougerie, and Stade Toulousain’s experienced
scrum-half/fly-half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde. The
latter’s recall has been put on ice, however, following a
dislocated elbow sustained during Saturday’s 9-6 win against
Montauban, an injury that ruled him out for six weeks.
That would also rule
Elissalde out of the club’s Heineken Cup quarter-final away
to Cardiff Blues, a match that injured scrum-half Byron
Kelleher is already touch-and-go to be fit for.
It’s all just another
headache for the club’s long-serving coach Guy Noves, who
this week confirmed that French internationals Thierry
Dusautoir, Maxime Medard, Yannick Jauzion and Cedric Heymans
will all be rested for their weekend trip to Perpignan.
Noves – in an interview
with L’Equipe – has also called for a reduction in teams in
Top 14 (down to 12), and the number of French sides in the
Heineken Cup to be cut to four in an effort to reduce the
current strain on players.
However, he doesn’t believe there should be a limit on the
number of foreign players in France.
The Rugby World Cup
sevens tournament in Dubai is set to rob several clubs of
star performers this weekend, with Biarritz speedster
Takudzwa Ngwenya in action for the USA and Clermont’s
Julien Malzieu representing France. Fiji have also
turned to their star names and unveiled a 12-man squad
featuring the likes of Montauban’s Vilimoni Delasau,
Clermont’s free-scoring Napolioni Nalaga, Racing
Metro’s Sireli Bobo and Dax’s Neumi Nanuku.
Fijian winger Rupeni
Caucaunibuca, however, has not been called up and so is
free to play for Pro D2 side SU Agen against RC Narbonne.
Finally, Argentine
scrum-half Agustin Pichot was back in training with
his new (and former) club Stade Francais this week, while
Toulon player-coach began a two-week lay-off following the
adductor injury he picked up against Bourgoin on Friday.
