In the mind of French supporters, the shock of the huge loss against the Wallabies in 2010 is still deeply present. Some players who were on the field two years ago might want their revenge and that has been understood with the recent interviews.
Even with captain Thierry Dusautoir injured, leaders like Pascal Pape, Nicolas Mas, Vincent Clerc and Dimitri Szarzewski are highly motivated to win against Australia — like what happened against the Springboks in 2009 in Toulouse.
Times have changed. France is no more full of old slow guys who just wake up during World Cup finals and Australian attacking rugby has disappeared this year. Les Bleus have been rejuvenated since the June Tests against Argentina. Some guys stepped up and have since changed their jerseys for more competitive teams
Starting XV: 1. Yannick Forestier (Castres) – 2. Dimitri Szarzewski (Racing Metro 92) – 3. Nicolas Mas (Perpignan) – 4. Pascal Pape (Stade Français) – 5. Yoann Maestri (Toulouse) – 6. Yannick Nyanga (Toulouse) – 7. Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier) – 8. Louis Picamolles (Toulouse) – 9. Maxime Machenaud (Racing Metro 92) – 10. Frederic Michalak (Toulon) – 11. Vincent Clerc (Toulouse) – 12. Maxime Mermoz (Toulon) – 13. Florian Fritz (Toulouse) – 14. Wesley Fofana (Clermont) – 15. Brice Dulin (Castres)
Bench: 16. Benjamin Kayser (Clermont) – 17. Thomas Domingo (Clermont) – 18. Vincent Debaty (Clermont) – 19. Jocelino Suta (Toulon) – 20. Damien Chouly (Clermont) – 21. Morgan Parra (Clermont) – 22. François Trinh-Duc (Montpellier) – 22. Yoann Huget (Toulouse)
UPDATE:
@MattRowley_ change on the french team! Yoann Maestri is off, Jocelino Suta will start and Sébastien Vahaamahina is on the bench
— Sud Rugby (@Sudrugby) November 9, 2012
France had only a week to prepare for this game, set up a strategy and work on the tactics, which means we will probably focus on a simple game, less expansive than what could be done after a few weeks’ of team work. Yannick Forestier will start his first game with the French jersey against the Wallabies. He is a solid scrummager with a strong reputation in the Top 14, but he has been unfortunately injured each time he was called by Marc Lièvremont, the former national head coach.
Nicolas Mas has missed most of the Top 14 due to injury and will not be competitive during all the game. Hooker Dimitri Szarzewski is now free of William Servat’s presence and has more responsibilities. After leaving Stade Français for Racing Métro 92, he has improved his game and is now a strong and reliable leader on the field. Front rowers will have an advantage over the Australians, the new laws being in use in France since August.
Pascal Pape (the captain) and Yoann Maestri are the indisputable starting locks but the one to watch will be Toulon’s Jocelino Suta. The player, raised in the Pacific Islands of Wallis & Futuna, has been impressive for two years with the current leaders of the French championship. Thierry Dusautoir being injured, his twin brother Yannick Nyanga will start with the number 6 jersey, Fulgence Ouedraogo being the other flanker. With a similar profile, these two players are expected to get off the scrum quickly to scavenge for the ball and also to steal it in rucks and mauls. This is Yannick Bru’s strategy to defend against the speed and skills of the Australian attack. Louis Picamolles will be the starting eightman as Imanol Harinordoquy is still injured and will be used in his typical role of ball carrier and defence breaker.
The last game played by France was an impressive victory over Argentina in San Miguel de Tucuman, when the half backs were Maxime Machenaud and Frederic Michalak. Machenaud had a great season last year with Agen and now practices his rugby with Racing Métro 92. While Morgan Parra is really slow, Machenaud’s quickness to release the ball is a strong advantage for the continuity of attacks. His association with Frederic Michalak has been terrific against Argentina and the two guys, who have been very performing since the beginning of the 2012–13 season, are expected to shine once again under the rain forecast for Saturday night.
The backline is pretty usual except for the right wing position where Wesley Fofona will be playing. Used as an outside centre during the whole international season 2011–12, he has been declared as essential by Philippe Saint André thanks to his speed and strong skills. Florian Fritz, forgotten by both Marc Lièvremont and Bernard Laporte, will finally have his chance to impose himself with the blue jersey.
RC Toulon’s strong start of the championship has helped Maxime Mermoz keeping its starting position as inside centre. Vincent Clerc is the current leading try scorer in the Top 14 but is expected to step up as a leader! Saint André and Patrice Lagisquet are waiting for Clerc, who has been a French international player for 10 years, to become one of the links between the new generation and the most experienced players, especially within the backline.
Finally Brice Dulin is probably the most unknown of the starting XV but was elected as the revelation of last year’s Top 14 tournament. Now playing for Castres, he wants to remain the starting French fullback, a position where France has been struggling to find a lasting solution the last five years. The bench is filled with the disappointing Morgan Parra, François Trinh-Duc and (even worse) Yoann Huget. If France is losing against the Wallabies after 50-60 minutes, I doubt we could count on these three guys to improve the score!
The expected weather during the game combined with the strong motivation of the French players makes me think that Les Bleus can win this game. It will at least be a tighter game than two years ago! In case of success we would be able to see if Philippe Saint André’s approach is different and if France is finally able to win two important games in a row, the next one scheduled being against Argentina in Lille the following weekend!
