France reveals final crew to meet Wales in first semi-final of Rugby World Cup
French rugby coach, Marc Lievremont, has revealed his squad to face Wales in the first semi-final of Rugby World Cup on October 15, in Eden Park, Auckland. They have featured two changes in their side that won the quarter-final against England. However,
both changes have been made to the benches and the starting line ups have not been disturbed to keep up the winning momentum. Lievremont unveiled his 22-men combination on October 14 allowing Jean-Marc Doussain and Fulgence Ouedraogo to mark their presence
on the benches.
The coach was criticised for giving the fly-half’s role to Morgan Parra but he has not changed his mind about giving the playe the new role. Dimitri Yachvili, who was not sure if he would line up in the final squad, has proved his fitness to the management
and has been placed at number nine.
Meanwhile, Lievremont has dropped David Marty and Louis Picamoles from their bench roles, which they were given during the last match against South Africa. Making the announcement of his team, the French coach told the media that his side is in spirits and
will leave no stone unturned to secure their berth in the final of the ongoing world showpiece.
The coach further said that, “A good match against England isn't enough to rid us of all our frustrations. Yes, it was a good match against England, but that wasn't enough to free us. We now need to make sure we don't miss this opportunity that we have been
given in the semi-finals.”
While commenting on the good performance of Wales, the Frenchman said that they are a good side and he has butterflies in his stomach regarding the upcoming match. He added that, “Yes, I am afraid. Above all I am afraid of the Welsh. Right now we are running
on adrenaline -- I keep telling myself I can sleep in 10 days' time. I don't need much sleep generally, but it is true, I am more stressed right now.”
France: 15 Maxime Médard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Aurélien Rougerie, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Alexis Palisson, 10 Morgan Parra, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Imanol Harinordoquy, 7 Julien Bonnaire, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (capt), 5 Lionel Nallet, 4 Pascal
Papé, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 William Servat, 1 Jean-Baptiste Poux.
Replacements: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Fabien Barcella, 18 Julien Pierre, 19 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 20 Francois Trinh-Duc, 21 Jean-Marc Doussain, 22 Cedric Heymans.
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