2011 Rugby World Cup Match Preview: New Zealand vs France
The New Zealand and France encounter is most probably the match of the weekend for many, particularly keeping in view the unique World cup rivalry both sides have developed over the years. All Blacks will host the Les Bleus in their fortress, Eden Park,
Auckland on Saturday, September 24.
While the weather forecast for the day is to be cold, the temperature on the field and among the crowd will be very high, as All Blacks will take the field to take their revenge for the 2007 Rugby World Cup’s (RWC) quarter-final exit at the hands of Les
Bleus.
The match promises to be exciting, which may not be reflected by the latest International Rugby Board’s (IRB) world rankings, as the world’s best will take on France. Besides handing over a quarter-final exit in 2007, Les Bleus is the only team along with
Springboks, who have defeated the All Blacks in New Zealand.
Additionally, Les Bleus will enter the match knowing that they were the last team to defeat the All Blacks at Eden Park back in 1994.
The match will mark the 100th appearance for the All Blacks captain and their star international flanker Richie McCaw. The star New Zealander will enter his name in the record books when he will lead his team onto the field on Saturday.
All Blacks head coach, Graham Henry, has expressed his hope that McCaw will be able to make this game a memorable one with his strong individual performance and a good team result.
While France’s recent performance rules out any chance of an upsets but Les Bleus habit of delivering upsets against the odds is a hard truth to deny.
Following the announcement of the Les Bleus match day 22 for their crunch Pool A encounter against the All Blacks, France’s head coach Marc Lievremont, has been subject to intense criticism. Many believe the experimental team setup is intentional, as the
French want to concede the game. While for others it is pure tactics and their right to do what’s best for their team.
All Blacks will feel the pressure of performing and meeting the expectations of the crowds. They will also be looking to payback the French for their 2007 RWC exit. This type of situation will favour the French. He said, “I hope the context of the match,
the fact that we've got nothing to lose, will liberate the players.”
Both teams have so far played 16 times, out of which the All Blacks have won 11 games while Les Bleus have won five games. In their last five games, the record is slightly better as the All Blacks have won three and won two games. Both teams last played
at Marseille in 2009, which New Zealand won quite comfortably with final scorecard reading 39 – 12.
Upsets apart, All Blacks are expected to defeat the Les Bleus with a 12 point margin.
The team rosters for both sides during Saturday’s encounter will be:
New Zealand
Starting XV: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Richard Kahui, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Adam Thomson, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu,
1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Andrew h**e, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Ali Williams, 19 Anthony Boric, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Colin Slade, 22 Sonny Bill Williams.
France
Starting XV: 15 Damien Traille, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Aurélien Rougerie, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Maxime Médard, 10 Morgan Parra, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Julien Bonnaire, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 5 Pascale Papé, 4 Lionel Nallet,
3 Luc Ducalcon, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Jean-Baptiste Poux.
Replacements: 16 William Servat, 17 Fabien Barcella, 18 Julien Pierre, 19 Imanol Harinordoquy, 20 Francois Trinh-Duc, 21 Fabrice Estebanez, 22 Cédric Heymans.
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