France v NZ - Don't rule out an upset
France are looking to evoke the spirit of 2007 World Cup when they eliminated the All Blacks in the quarter-finals.
|||London - No French campaign would be complete without the smoke of internal crossfire that has threatened to choke preparations for Saturday’s battle royale against the All Blacks.
As they did four years ago in New Zealand, tales of mutiny have leaked out of France’s camp, with reports of an ‘uprising’ against head coach Philippe Saint-Andre adding a typically Parisian feel to Saturday night’s Cardiff quarter-final.
Pressed about l’appel a la revolte - the call to revolt - skipper Thierry Dusautoir was forced to deny that Les Bleus had ‘discreetly dismissed’ their coach in the latest display of player power. ‘I don’t know where this article is coming from,’ said Dusautoir. ‘This isn’t really our kind of thing. I don’t really understand what everyone’s talking about here. It’s not really my problem and I only want to focus on Saturday.’ Saint-Andre has agreed to leave his position after the World Cup, but whispers across the Channel suggest that he has become the victim of a coup d’etat.
Photographs emerged of lock Yoann Maestri appearing to barge the departing coach following Sunday’s defeat by Ireland, evoking memories of the squad’s decision to ‘free themselves from the supervision’ of Marc Lievremont during the 2011 campaign.
Asked if the players still have confidence in Saint-Andre, Dusautoir presented a united front, saying: ‘Yeah, totally. We started as a team and want to continue as a team. We’re still together until the end of the competition, players, coaches, medical staff.’ The 2011 revolution served France well, with Lievremont’s side narrowly losing to hosts New Zealand in the final.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has done his bit to stoke the French flames this week, claiming Saturday’s opponents have lost the flair on which they once prided themselves.‘Can you explain to me what French flair is?’ responded Dusautoir on Friday ‘What interests me is to get through. If we win it with this French flair, great. If we lose the game against New Zealand we are out of the tournament.’
If Saint-Andre still has a say in the dressing room, he could do worse than invoking the spirit of 2007, when France delivered a performance of panache to eliminate New Zealand in the quarter-finals. ‘If there’s not an uprising for this match, you must change sport,’ said Saint-Andre.
‘If we want to beat New Zealand, we will have to play the French way.‘We’re ready for a massive battle. We know we’ll have to improve our up-front game and take more individual initiatives.
New Zealand never lose, but sometimes you manage to beat them.’Today will be the first time the sides have faced each other at the Millennium Stadium since that 2007 Test, with Dusautoir, Dmitri Szarzewski and Freddie Michalak being the only Frenchmen to see through the eight-year turnaround.‘Cardiff was special,’ said Dusautoir.
‘But I want to think about our future. That was eight years ago.‘It’s always something special to play New Zealand. The French and the All Blacks have a special history together. I hope we write a new chapter now.’ Key to the outcome will be the No 7 duel between Dusautoir and Richie McCaw, with Hansen recently describing the two skippers as the strongest opensides in the modern game.
‘Richie is a great player,’ said Dusautoir. ‘He’s the best player of his generation. It’s always a privilege to play against him. It’s my last chance to play against a master like him.’ There are even fewer survivors from the 2007 All Blacks squad, with only McCaw and Dan Carter still around before they finally hang up their international boots.
‘Eight years ago is a long time,’ said McCaw ‘Those days are the ones where you learn a few lessons but really not a lot of thought goes back that far. ‘There are only a couple of us who played that day but I know for myself, disappointing day as that was, it’s perhaps shaped the eight years since.’
Daily Mail