Wednesday 19 October 2011

Lievremont Makes No French Changes


France coach Marc Lievremont has gone against his natural urge to tinker with his squad by naming an unchanged line-up for the World Cup final.

Lievremont has built a reputation of constantly changing his starting XV, however Sunday's clash against New Zealand will see him stick with the same team from the wins over England and Wales.

That means Dimitri Yachvili, Morgan Parra and William Servat will be fit to play despite picking up knocks in the 9-8 win over Wales in the semi-final.

"It was quite clear for me to name the same 15. A simple decision," said Lievremont

"It is the same as last week with minor injuries... I expect these 15 players to be on the pitch at nine o'clock on Sunday.

"Everything has been more or less the same - our preparation on and off the pitch - and we will use any pressure we are feeling to our advantage."
Focusing

Lievremont, who steps down as France coach after the final at Eden Park, has delayed naming his bench until later in the week.

"There are still some players slightly injured who didn't train yesterday, so I will name replacements later," said Lievremont.

Les Bleus go into the game with few giving them a chance of upsetting the odds - particularly after they were thumped 37-17 by the All Blacks in the pool stages.

However Lievremont insists his side - who have twice shocked New Zealand in previous World Cups - can win their first-ever Webb Ellis trophy.

"Yes, we've played them before, and we all remember the score there," Lievremont said. "But we now know the team and that will help us.

"All I am focusing on now is this match, preparing the players and making sure we have the best chance possible.

"I know how we are going to try to win but I'll keep those words for my players' ears only."

France: 15 Maxime Medard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Aurelien 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 Pape, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 William Servat, 1 Jean Baptiste Poux