Preview: Wallabies v. France 2nd test

Australia had a convincing win over a mélange of a France team last Saturday but the second encounter in Melbourne will be a sterner test.

In the first test  France coach Philippe Saint-André rested players who played in the Top 14 final the week before, but for a couple of reserve backs. This gave him a sneaky excuse to look at some second-string players and debutants, but he was not so obliging this time.

The teams

Australia

Apart from replacing injured forwards and one reserve prop, Coach Ewen McKenzie chose the same match day 23. His new starting forwards are experienced. The back line, including the reserves, is intact.

He was happy with his starting players from last week especially after such a short preparation. It must have been difficult to pick a man-of-the match at Suncorp because so many Aussies played well and even the less notable players had solid games.

Thierry Dusautour – crocked for a long time

France

In all there are ten changes to the starting team: only three forwards and two backs retain their run-on spots. The pack will be more agile in Melbourne than it was in Brisbane.

Saint-André gambled in choosing two flankers who have had just a few hours of rugby between them since they were crocked earlier in the year. Another risky selection is that neither of his run-on props have started in a test match.

But the backs are stellar. Apart from the scrumhalves, a toss-up situation, he chose arguably the best back line in France, regardless of injury to others. And there is no better back three in Europe, in form.

The players

Australia

None of the backs are injured from last week but three forwards are.

Second rower James Horwill returns to the starting side for his 50th cap replacing Ed Carter, who suffered an ankle syndesmosis injury in the seventh minute, but finished his debut match as one of the Wallabies’ best.

Hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau, who played a cracking game for most of the first test when new captain Stephen Moore (knee ligament tears) was injured early, “runs-on” in Melbourne. Ben McCalman replaces Wycliff Palu, who has an ankle injury but expects to return for the third test in Sydney.

Scott Higginbotham comes onto the bench as McCalman is promoted

Two debutant bench players, hooker Nathan Charles and lock Luke Jones, will be excited to be added to the match day team as Polota-Nau and Horwill move up, as will another rookie, tighthead prop Laurie Weeks, who replaces Paddy Ryan in the reserves.

Mathieu Bastareud – a “big” inclusion

France

The big inclusion is that of Toulon outside centre Mathieu Bastareud, who is prop-size but plays in the centres. It’s easy to think of this lumbering fellow as a comic book character but he is a considerable rugby player and more than the crash-baller you think he is.

His ball work is not great when he passes long, but his short passes to supports on his hip just before, or even right at, contact, can be lethal. Therefore care should be taken by the shooters who rush in to close him down—but they can’t sit back and wait for him either.

Castres flyhalf Rémi Talès is another significant addition. He is a recent favourite of Saint-André and a more robust player than last week’s Frédéric Michalak. A late bloomer who didn’t play test rugby until this time last year in New Zealand, the 30-year-old has a strong tactical kicking game and is willing to take on defenders.

The scrumhalves are also changed: Morgan Parra takes over from Maxime Machenaud and offers a better sniping game, though he is not as sturdy on defence. He also assumes the goal-kicking role.

Star players fullback Brice Dulin and winger Maxime Medard replace Bonneval and Le Bourhis from the Brisbane test, as was expected even before the last match started.

Fullback Brice Dulin – star player

In the forwards, only no. 8 Damien Chouly showed much form last week and must have been the first one picked. He will hope that his underdone flankers, skipper Thierry Dusautor and Yannick Nyanga, are physically able to do their share of work.

Both starting props are changed, most likely because Mas and short-arsed Domingo did not have the expected effect on Slipper and Kepu respectively last week. The surprise is that the unheralded and uncapped 31-year-old Alexandre Menini, who has risen without trace, starts at loosehead prop.

The tighthead prop, Rabah Slimani, is not a household name either; he played in nine test matches but never started in one. Hardy Vincent Debaty, who did so well on the loosehead side in the second half at Suncorp, and has played in 24 test matches, is relegated from the bench to the stands.

The other change in the forwards not yet mentioned is that energiser beanpole second-rower Alexandre Flanquart, who is 102 kgs wringing wet, replaces Vahaamahina, who was a spectator last week, though he started in the game.

The form

Australia

The Wallabies played as well in their opening game of the season as they have in recent years, which confirmed that McKenzie had chosen the right team.

But their performance was marred later in the match when the reserves came on, which confirmed something else: a lack of depth in some forward positions . The scrum deteriorated and it affected the rest of the contest as dud scrums do.

Sekope Kepu – did not experience problems

Earlier Kepu and Slipper did not experience the predicted problems in the scrums against their shorter opponents; instead it was the tallest France prop, reserve LHP Debaty, who caused some havoc later.

Their restarts were shaky, and now and then one saw a Frenchman walking through a ruck; but overall the piggies got a pass mark until the scary part.

The backs were magnificent in periods, including the reserves, but one has to put an asterisk against their success because of the quality of their opponents on the night.

France

They played like a B team last week because many of them were B players. As in Six Nations they missed Dusautor their leader, and they also missed old-stager Pascal Papé in the second row, a lover of “Le Crunch”, but resting at home.

Pascal Papé – loves “Le Crunch” – France misses him

Neither did they get the dominance at scrum time that they got in their previous meeting in Paris in 2012.

As a group the backs were poor and the midfield had no point of difference without Bastareaud. Winger le Bourhis (a centre) and fullback Bonneval had only three tests between them, and it showed.

France at Suncorp was nowhere near the standard of England at Eden Park.  They also rested players from their domestic final but instead of being roadkill for a lot of the game they gave the All Blacks a big scare.

But McKenzie was not dropping his guard:

France is one of the few one teams in the world who can make a lot of changes and still turn things around quickly in one week. They never stay down for long and will be using the disappointment of the opening Test to motivate them for the second game.