Lievremont names new No.10 for RWC clash
By Baptiste Pace, 20 Sep 2011 Baptiste Pace is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- France Rugby, Rugby Union, Rugby World Cup
France coach Marc Lievremont sprung a surprise on Tuesday when he named scrum-half Morgan Parra to play at fly-half for the World Cup Pool A match against New Zealand here on Saturday.
Parra takes over from Montpellier’s Francois Trinh-Duc who played at No.10 in the opening wins over Japan and Canada.
Parra will form a halfback pairing with Dimitri Yachvili, with whom he had been in competition for the No.9 shirt.
Thierry Dusautoir returns as captain in a backrow which also has Louis Picamoles and Julien Bonnaire with Imanol Harinordoquy on the bench.
Damien Traille continues at fullback with Aurelien Rougerie returning to the centre to make way for Maxime Medard on the wing.
Former skipper Lionel Nallet returns alongside Pascal Pape in the second row.
Both France and New Zealand won their opening two games and the winner on Saturday is virtually assured of topping the group.
Lievremont, who has been unhappy with his team’s performances in the tournament to date despite taking the maximum 10 points from two games, brought in five new players from the team that finished strongly against Canada to win 46-19.
In the pack Dimitri Szarzewski gets his first start of the competition replacing William Servat at hooker, while Nallet takes over at lock from Romain Millo-Chluski and Dusautoir returns to the backrow in place of Fulgence Ouedraogo.
In the backs, Medard and Yachvili both step up from the bench to the starting lineup.
It will be 22-year-old Parra’s first start for France at flyhalf and Lievremont admitted it had been a difficult choice to make to stand down Trinh-Duc.
“I think that Francois Trinh-Duc, after two matches when he was not at his best, pays the price and on the other hand Morgan (Parra) has been quite effective,” the coach said.
“For us it is a great honour to play this match, which is not like any other. I hope that my players will bring to it all the passion they have and that they will make us proud of them.
“The summit of it all would be to play the All Blacks again later in the World Cyp final at Eden Park.”
France: Damien Traille; Vincent Clerc, Aurelien Rougerie, Maxime Mermoz, Maxime Mdard; Morgan Parra, Dimitri Yachvili; Louis Picamoles, Julien Bonnaire, Thierry Dusautoir (capt); Lionel Nallet, Pascal Pap; Luc Ducalcon, Dimitri Szarzewski, Jean-Baptiste Poux
Replacements: William Servat, Fabien Barcella, Julien Pierre, Imanol Harinordoquy, Francois Trinh-Duc, Fabrice Estebanez, Cedric Heymans
© AFP 2012Recommend this story.
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The Crowd Says (24) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- France Rugby, Rugby Union, Rugby World Cup
September 20th 2011 @ 8:47am
Moaman said | September 20th 2011 @ 8:47am | Report comment
Looks strong to me—can someone who knows France better shed some light on this selection please?
September 20th 2011 @ 9:03am
WQ said | September 20th 2011 @ 9:03am | Report comment
I think you are right Moaman, strong Team and mostly form players.
The only issue I would see is that to get all of his best players into the one side he has chosen to play a few out of position?
i.e. a scrum half at fly half, a midfield pairing only ever played once together previously.
Time will tell if this is French unpredictability or holding something back until the knock out stages?
September 20th 2011 @ 10:14am
Frozzie said | September 20th 2011 @ 10:14am | Report comment
It is close to the best team possible with the players available. The forwards should not change much for the rest of the competition.
. Rougerie is a solid player with an ok defence. Lucky with have Jauzion, Poitrenaud, Fritz, Bastareaud, Chavancy in the team… Wait they’re in France!
Ducalcon is mainly there because of Mas injurie and it will be a test for him. We can assure that if Mas can heal, he will get back in the starting line up.
There is nothing separating Servat and Szarzewski at hooker. There are both dynamic players that can make strong runs and powerful at scrum time.
Not being a forward specialist, I don’t really see workload and potential difference in our seconds rows. Anybody can enlight me?
Our back row is always be a strenght and selection are hard to get. So any pairing will be good. Bonnaire and Picamoles both had a great game against Canada and won they starting position. Picamoles is one of the only players powerful enough to take the ball past the avamtage line consistently and Bonnaire is a very complete player (excellent jumper in lineup). Dusautoir is our tackling machine. It will be interesting to see the battle at the breakdown as France will try to copy the irish in slowing down the kiwis. Expect to see Harinordoquy make a strong as he was strongly criticased by the coach after the Japan game.
Now the real issues!! Our halves and backs. I am one of many frenchmen (as you have guest from my poor english) that believe that lievremont didn’t select the best players because he wanted a easily managable team. Some very good players with strong caracters stayed home…. If you want to see good French rugby, watch Toulouse-Racing from this year TOP14!!
Parra is a good player at 9 but haven’t play 10 for more than 3 years. He has a good kicking game and should be able to distibute the game well. The kiwis back three (especially the wingers) have been identify by the french has a weakness in there kicking game or lack of. The french are, maybe (i am not in the confidence), looking to kicking deep and with a strong defense block them in NZ territory. Dangerous tactics has they are great ball runners. I am concerne at Parra defensive strenght. He is tiny and with powerfull runners in his channel it might be a bit a a weakness.
Mermoz is a great inside center but is always injured and has play 27 min of rugby in the last year in a half. If he can get some game time, he will be dangerous (in the final maybe
Wingers are one of are strenght and both Clerc and Medard are exciting players.
Now the Traille mistery! This guy has play every position in the French team, has always be average at most and is STILL in the team and starting team!!! He has a massive boots and he is supposely very safe at fullback (see semi final world cup against England! or his game against Canada before his try). At least the AB are safe from him running with the ball from return kick. He never does and has the top speed for my granma. I apologize for my lack of restreint here but we have some exiting full back in France and try in the world cup!
I don’t know if that give you any info for the game, but I least you might know the french team a bit better.
Hope it will be a good game with no rain and attacking rugby where the best team win at the end!
From Cairns, Australia
September 20th 2011 @ 11:04am
WQ said | September 20th 2011 @ 11:04am | Report comment
Thank you Frozzie, your insight is excellent!
Tell me, does ‘Frozzie’ stand for French Aussie?
September 20th 2011 @ 11:57am
Frozzie said | September 20th 2011 @ 11:57am | Report comment
Yes he does. Born and grow up in Toulouse but leave in australia now!
September 20th 2011 @ 11:17am
Moaman said | September 20th 2011 @ 11:17am | Report comment
Frozzie!! Wonderful read!
If you are “one of many frenchmen (as you have guest from my poor english ” <——-We must have many 'frenchmen' here on the Roar then 
I had to laugh at some of your thoughts……your dispair that Jauzion et al have been left at home mirrors what many of us kiwis feel about MEssers Gear & co (especially now that KPM Favourite Zac Guildford is becoming Invisible # 30.) I disagree that the NZ back 3-especially the wingers have no kicking game!!!! Firstly,not many people even know who the Back 3 are!! Secondly,if Jane is there with Dagg and Muliaina-that would be 3 fullbacks-all well-versed in reception/distribution of high balls,,,,,,of course Kahui might appear in one spot….his kicking game is adequate and he is very strong under the garryowen.
When I saw Parra at 10,my first thought was how well he will defend in that inside channel you mention.Good luck to him if Nonu is on the charge! You say Mermoz has had very little game-time.Richard Kahui has had a similar history-plagued by injury in recent seasons.
Thankyou for your informative blog…..good to get some insight into the French view of this side.
September 20th 2011 @ 11:23am
the other Steve - and AB fan said | September 20th 2011 @ 11:23am | Report comment
thanks Frozzie,
its great to hear from a knowledgable fan, mixing passion for the team with some good judgement. Sometimes that’s a rare thing here at the Roar.
September 20th 2011 @ 11:26am
Ralph said | September 20th 2011 @ 11:26am | Report comment
This coach Lievremont does seem very unusual with his selection – but also in the press seems to be a very angry man who is not good with people!?
September 20th 2011 @ 12:14pm
Frozzie said | September 20th 2011 @ 12:14pm | Report comment
Well it is hard to be a French coach as the nation sport in France is to bach our national team. Maybe it is an international sport?
Lievremont is from the south of France and renown to have a hot temper and to be straight talking. He is under heavy scrutiny because of his total lack of experience prior to the job (he never coach a top14 or english premiership team; it’s only experience as coach was with Dax in second division). He really seems to have an issue with the players in putting a game plan and commun referencial of play together.
To his defence, the french federation and its collection of elected for life administrators from and era where lifting in line up was illegal, has already appointed his replacement after the world cup. Really good for the confidence!
To understand the context a bit more, What happened with the football french team and the coach (domenech) at the world cup has left a ugly scar and media are quick to draw parrallels.
September 20th 2011 @ 9:18pm
Colin N said | September 20th 2011 @ 9:18pm | Report comment
You never know with France but it looks like a mixture of first of second string. Servat is very much seen as the first choice hooker and Szazewsi is usually the impact off the bench. Poux is average to me but Barcella has only just come back from injury. It’s such a shame Domingo is injured.
You can’t do anything about Mas’ injury but Ducalcon is second choice. And what is the persistance of Traille at full-back? They lost the 07 semi-final because of his indecision. Medard or Heymans should be there with the other on the wing.
I’m a big fan of Picamoles but Harinordoquy is the main man. Agree about Jauzion and Poitrenaud although I doubt the latter’s mentality at the very highest level.
September 20th 2011 @ 11:26am
the other Steve - and AB fan said | September 20th 2011 @ 11:26am | Report comment
The NZ TAB is paying $6 for a French win, and $1.10 for the All Blacks – I think that is serioulsy under-estimating the French.
September 20th 2011 @ 11:54am
Kuruki said | September 20th 2011 @ 11:54am | Report comment
What have the French done lately to justify better odds??
September 20th 2011 @ 12:31pm
the other Steve - and AB fan said | September 20th 2011 @ 12:31pm | Report comment
They have a well balanced team with both very competent and experienced backs and forwards, they all play professionally so they are fit, their scrum is pretty good, and Para is a very accurate kicker off the tee.
As a team, the French can do both the European forward grind and the running rugby.
And there is the WRC history of France v the All Blacks!
September 20th 2011 @ 11:27am
Viscount Crouchback said | September 20th 2011 @ 11:27am | Report comment
Parra at 10? Bonkers. Nonu will run all over him.
September 20th 2011 @ 11:29am
Brett McKay said | September 20th 2011 @ 11:29am | Report comment
is this a first for press conferences, where a coach says a player being dropped “pays the price”?!?
September 20th 2011 @ 11:33am
Moaman said | September 20th 2011 @ 11:33am | Report comment
How many Wallabies would survive under a Lievremont regime?
September 20th 2011 @ 12:31pm
Brett McKay said | September 20th 2011 @ 12:31pm | Report comment
Moa, I had this thought the other day, that the only coach to have used more players in his reign than Deans, would surely be Lievremont. I’ll admit to not knowing many of the French players, but the coach isn’t helping!!
September 20th 2011 @ 12:37pm
Frozzie said | September 20th 2011 @ 12:37pm | Report comment
I am french and I never know who will play!!! We never have the same team. Lievremont is all about having 30 players at the same level. But at some stage you need automatism and a fix back bone to your team!
September 20th 2011 @ 1:24pm
Moaman said | September 20th 2011 @ 1:24pm | Report comment
Perhaps Maarc Lievremont,due to his limited coaching experience,has based his moves on what he sees happening with the ABs…..?? If it’s good enough for NZ…..Personally I would be surprised if NZ don’t win on Saturday by at least a 20 point margin.But I am a glass-half full sort of guy…….
September 20th 2011 @ 11:35am
the other Steve - and AB fan said | September 20th 2011 @ 11:35am | Report comment
I wish other coaches would be that blunt about dropping or promoting players, instead of talking about “it was an education’ and “facing the realities”.
All the players know why they get dropped or picked: performance and the game strategy. Why coaches talk around it so much is annoying.
September 20th 2011 @ 12:05pm
katzilla said | September 20th 2011 @ 12:05pm | Report comment
Its easy to understand after hearing his tirade following the Italy loss.
‘Pays the price’ must just mean ‘hit a spot of bad form’ when the alternative for playing poorly is for your coach to call you cowardly.
September 20th 2011 @ 12:03pm
katzilla said | September 20th 2011 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
The French appeared to make the gainline more often when he subbed on at flyhalf during the Japan game.
I’m not sure about his defence but with ball in hand I can see him running a lot.
Yachvilli has the game to threaten the ABs on the same fringes that Genia exposed, hes definitely a danger for us.
September 20th 2011 @ 12:22pm
Frozzie said | September 20th 2011 @ 12:22pm | Report comment
I tend to disagreed on Yachvili. He is an excellent organisor and know how to direct the tempo of a game. He has plenty of half back “malice” but he is not a strong ball carrier. It is, in my humble opinion, whatt missing from our number 9s. Doussain who has been selected to replace Skrela is a strong ball carrier (he put kelleher on the bench in the toulouse team). That say lievremont took him as a replacement 10. Just another player out of position!
September 20th 2011 @ 12:37pm
katzilla said | September 20th 2011 @ 12:37pm | Report comment
A halfback with half the running skills of Genia could make mincemeat of our fringe defence.
Thanks for the info on Doussain, i’ll have a look at him.