France unchanged for World Cup final

Agreed re: NZ. They've done well to rise to the final, although I think a lot of that has to do with the weakness of the opposition. If we took NZ out of the equation and threw England, Ireland, Wales, France, Argentina, SA and Australia into their own WC I don't think I'd be able to pick a winner. Enjoy your day. Nearly time for Australia v Wales. I fancy Australia to win that.

Overall I thought all teams were under-powered for various reasons; The ABs eg were severely hampered by injuries to key men....(The backrow,5/8s) and the 9s were all struggling to find any form.Other teams of course had their issues...haven.t time now to go into it;I agree with the points you mentioned that detracted from the event as a whole...nevertheless I found myself watching more matches than I had planned and lots of little things stand out...plenty of talking points!! Got to go to work now....oh...your " I reckon NZ will spank France off the park " .yeah but,what about the game Ben? ;-)

Very droll, my man... I genuinely wasn't able to get on the internet in or around the England v France period - changed TV, internet and telephone providers and it's been a nightmare since then. I'm sure I wasn't missed... I'd be surprised to see the French dominate the set-piece too. NZ have scrummaged very well this WC. Not sure about the lineout. I've been slightly disappointed by the WC as a whole, tbh. England, Scotland, Australia, SA and to an extent Ireland underachieved, with only Wales bucking the trend. The Pacific nations were also underwhelming. It's a shame that the biggest thrill came from the childish and idiotic behaviour of the England players and Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu's ridiculous rants. The refereeing has also been slightly farcical at times too. That said, I did take pleasure from watching the minnows in the group stages - especially Canada and Japan. You? Re: the final. From a personal perspective it would ease my rugby conscience a bit if NZ won, and especially without Carter. I reckon NZ will spank France off the park. They're simply a better coached and more talented outfit.

Good to see you back Ben ;-) I see Parisien above expects France to "dominate" the set piece.I can't imagine that happening myself.If France play the stodgy,territory-based game prevalent in the Top 14,I don't think they will have more than a reasonable chance to win. What have your impressions been Ben of the show as a whole? The weather hasn't been as bad as was painted,has it? I recall we discussed this a time or two over the past year. Incredible to me is how quickly the tournament has flown by! Long-awaited,much-anticipated and thoroughly engrossing despite the hiccups in my view.A pulsating Final would add icing to the cake...just hope it's more pavlova than gateau!

Realistically this is a very, very mediocre French team. The back row, especially Bonnaire and Harinordoquy, is very talented, but has only shone in matches when the tight five has excelled. I was impressed with them against England, but we also have to remember that we saw one of the worst English performances in years. This France side has no form, no real back play and is playing a side that has terrorised it in recent years. Defence and kicking won't work against the All Blacks on a home WC final day. As a rugby neutral I'm gutted I'm going to have to watch 80 more minutes of French dross.

The Wallabies are better than this French side. Just about everyone is better than this French side.

May the best team win, but let's see a real final... fingers crossed.

Sarko has his hands full at the moment but you never know! I wouldn't put it past him. He loves a photo op. If France wins, there will certainly be a huge party and parade on the Champs Elysee.

i THINK fRANCE ARE THE 2ND BEST TEAM IN the world ot be honest, better than the wallabies no question. Set piece especially scrum much much better, better back row, better from row, licks equal this will be a very tight match. And they have good halves, basically they have all the core strengths of a good rugby team. Will be great clash. no 13 rougarie is big and storng like jamie roberts so look at ab's close game, but all blacks by 5 points, just a bit stronger at the collisions but maybe not , to be honest i can't predict who will win both teams evenly matched. Would love to of seen an ALL BLACK V ALL BLACK A TEAM(Samoa)

Currently QE2 is here, with her beau the one that wants to be reincarnated as a virus - his own words, serious!

"However, the real French strength is that forward pack. They will dominate the set pieces while the back row will more than match up too." Big, big call. But if so, then it's game on! Hopefully it is. :) As in all RWC finals the ref favours the home side, so look out. :) Is Sarkozy coming down for it?

Thats a very good team. I'm still unsure about the Parra experiment, Trinh-duc brings more flair and a better passing game which I think they'll need. Palisson will be tested and is where the ABs should attack, he is small, and not so good under the high ball. I hope to see Heymans get more time. The All Blacks won't have forgotten the incredible try from nowhere that he scored against them on their last tour in NZ and he remains a genuine threat. However, the real French strength is that forward pack. They will dominate the set pieces while the back row will more than match up too. Dusautoir the dark destroyer sent Jerry Collins limping off in Cardiff while Harinordoquy is an inspiration at 8 with a complete game. Bonnaire is in the best form of his career and was splendid against the English and Welsh. The French will play a much better kicking game than the Wallabies, should have more territory and possession, and as long as their defense holds up they are in with a big chance. If they hadn't given away three fairly soft trys in the first half of their pool game against the ABs, they would have had a much closer result. They played at times very well in that match, applied some pressure and had the ABs back-pedalling. They have to put in an 80 minute effort now but should be stronger for the previous meeting.

Is no Dave Skrella a bog loss to this French team i don't know about Skrella enough. And i think the french no 12 is better than Yauzion, who is massive but past it. Lievermont secletions have been actually quite good, when he has copped flack. The half back turned 5/8 has been good, and the NO 8 Rapheal on the bench is far better than the caveman Chabal. Maybe livermont might be able to coach.

'The exciting back three' of France.Yep, and if we're lucky we'll see VIncent Clerc flap away on the ground like a big girl's blouse hoping the ref sends an All Black off, only to reveal that there is absolutely nothing wrong with him. Quelle surprise!