Lievremont confident France can rise to the challenge

Mar 13 2008 South Wales Echo

FRANCE coach Marc Lievremont is relishing the prospect of Saturday’s RBS Six Nations decider against Wales – even though he expects his team to be made less than welcome at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

Les Bleus need to win by at least 19 points this weekend to retain the title they have held for the past two years.

That will not be straightforward, with their unbeaten opponents having the vast majority of an 80,000 crowd behind them.

“We have spoken to the players about it,” said Lievremont, who played in the same stadium for France in the 1999 World Cup final.

“It is a true challenge to play in this hostile stadium. It will be difficult but it is exciting for them.”

The match should be entertaining and full of running rugby, with both sides renowned for the backs.

Les Bleus have regained their ‘French Flair’ tag under Lievremont, who is adamant his team must play their own game at the weekend.

“It is out of the question that we let them have possession of the ball, that isn’t the way we want to play it,” he said.

“We aren’t happy just to hold off our opponent, we want to show our own game like we did at the start of the tournament, sometimes very well.

“If we let them settle into the game and into their style of rugby, and give them confidence in a white-hot atmosphere, we really will be running into a dead end.”

France have named a new half-back partnership and left star back Cedric Heymans on the bench.

Fly-half David Skrela comes in for Francois Trinh-Duc, who looked to have made the number 10 jersey his own after an impressive performance against the Italians.

And he will combine with Jean-Baptiste Elissalde at half-back, with the Toulouse scrum-half having got the nod over Dimitri Yachvili, another stand-out performer on Sunday.

On paper, it looks arguably the strongest team Les Bleus have put out all tournament, but as usual head coach Marc Lievremont has delivered a couple of surprise choices.

Heymans, who excelled in the early stages of the Six Nations before being rested for last weekend’s win over Italy, is unable to oust Anthony Floch at full-back on his return to the squad and must settle for a place among the substitutes.

And in the pack, Montpellier tyro Fulgence Ouedraogo is retained despite the return to the squad of Clermont-Auvergne No.8 Elvis Vermeulen, who must also be content with the bench.

WALES Under-20 head coach Patrick Horgan has made three changes to his side for the final match of the Six Nations campaign, against France at Rodney Parade tomorrow (7.10pm).

Horgan has handed Blues prop Sam Hobbs his first start, Dragons wing Jimmy Norris returns to the fold and Ospreys back-row forward Justin Tipuric comes back into the starting line-up, this time on the openside.

Wales Under-20s (v France, h): D Evans (Scarlets); L Halfpenny (Blues), J Davies (Scarlets), G Owen (Ospreys), J Norris (Dragons); D Biggar (Ospreys), R Webb (Ospreys); S Hobbs (Blues), R Lawrence (Ospreys), P Palmer (Blues), H Pugh (Scarlets), J Groves (capt, Blues), J Turnbull (Scarlets), J Tipuric (Ospreys), L Phillips (Scarlets).

Replacements: R Prosser (Bristol Academy), R Bevington (Ospreys), S Andrews (Blues), A Sweet (Dragons), R Pitman (Ospreys), L Evans (Blues), J Tovey (Dragons).

WALES Women’s wing Louise Rickard will win her 100th cap in the game against France at Taffs Well RFC on Saturday (1pm).

Head coach Jason Lewis has named just one new player in the starting line-up, with Claire Horgan moving up from the bench to start at tight-head which means Wales will now boast twin sisters at prop as the number one berth stays with her sister, Louise.

Natalie Bowen takes her place on the bench to complete the 22 for the vital Six Nations encounter with Les Bleus.

Wales Women: N Evans (Clifton); L Rickard (Woodbridge), N Thomas (Clifton), C Flowers (Clifton), H Baxter (Cardiff Quins); R Poolman (Uwic), A Day (Uwic); L Horgan (Saracens), R Bowden (Clifton), C Horgan (Lichfield), R Taylor (Cardiff Quins), C Donovan (Saracens), C Nicholas (Bath Ladies), J Kift (Clifton), M Berry (capt, Clifton).

Replacements: N Bowen (Whitland), R Evans (Waterloo), N Evans (Wasps), J Doyle (Bath Ladies), L Prosser (Pontyclun), B Walsh (Wasps), M Reed (Birchgrove).

echo.sport@mediawales.co.uk