France v New Zealand: The main question as the French seek their first win over the All Blacks in four years tonight is which France will turn up: the composed grand slam winners who cruised past Australia a fortnight ago or the shower that could not land its kicks or retain the ball against Argentina in Marseille last Saturday?
And the next question is the perennial doubt about the mercurial outhalf Frederic Michalak, whose form appears as dependent on the weather as on the eight men in front of him. He has been switched to scrum-half, with Julien Peyrelongue outside him, but this is only distantly related to events in Marseille, for all that Peyrelongue looked far more effective when he came on.
Peyrelongue's inclusion, and Michalak's move to number nine, came on Thursday after the first-choice scrum-half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and his stand-in Dimitri Yachvili were ruled out through injury. The search for a settled partnership at half-back has been a theme of the Bernard Laporte years and tonight there is another hint of where the coach's ultimate intentions may rest, at inside-centre where the South-African born Brian Liebenberg has taken over from Yannick Jauzion.
His booming boot will suit France tonight and his physical presence should help reduce the amount of turnover ball available to the lightning-fast All Black back three of Mils Mulaina, Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko.
In the long term, however, the manager Jo Maso and Laporte have made no secret of the fact that they would like to see Liebenberg at fly-half.
"We have to have two or three players in each position by the 2007 World Cup," said Maso this week, "and Brian certainly interests us at number 10. He needs to play there and we will let him play there."
Graham Henry continues to rotate his team, unbeaten on tour, making seven changes to the side that defeated Wales by a point and giving the team a distinct resemblance to the XV who swamped Italy inside 10 minutes in Rome two weeks ago.
Tana Umaga returns in the centre alongside his Rome partner Conrad Smith, with Byron Kelleher regaining the starting slot at scrumhalf.
Henry though is not under-estimating the French and expects a major backlash after their loss to Argentina.
Indeed, the New Zealand coach prefers to remember how the French "just shut out Australia" 27-14 in Paris the week before bowing 24-14 to the Pumas. Henry said the two performances were in total contrast.
"I thought the French were the best in the world against Australia and not very good against Argentina. I think we are going to face a very good French team. They will be hungry after last Saturday."
France coach Bernard Laporte said he expected the same. "I told them that they had to redeem themselves, to take their revenge, to show what they really are worth," he said.
"I've also told them that the national team did not belong to anybody and that other players were knocking at the door."
Both coaches however share a mutual respect.
"The French are probably the best team in Europe at the moment," said Henry. "They are the Six Nations champions and Australia weren't in the game so they can obviously play high quality rugby and on their day, they are as good as anybody in the world," said Henry.
Laporte meanwhile said that the match will give the French a true test of their place in world rugby. "This match comes at the right time because it will enable us to test our true worth against a New Zealand side which always have been a great team, playing at the highest level with great individual players."
The battle up front was decisive in France's victory over Australia and, if the All Blacks can hold their own against the French tight five, tonight's dejeuner sur l'herbe - kicking off at a time when the average Frenchman is well into his after-dinner digestif - could prove unpalatable for Laporte.
FRANCE: C Poitrenaud; A Rougerie, T Marsh, B Liebenberg, C Heymans; J Peyrelongue, F Michalak; I Harinordoquy, O Magne, S Betsen, F Pelous (captain), J Thion, P de Villiers, W Servat, S Marconnet. Replacements: S Bruno, O Milloud, P Pape, J Bonnaire, M Barrau, Y Jauzion, C Dominici.
NEW ZEALAND: M Muliaina; D Howlett, C Smith, T Umaga (captain), J Rokocoko; D Carter, B Kelleher; R So'oialo, R McCaw, J Collins, N Maxwell, C Jack, C Hayman, A Oliver, T Woodcock. Replacements: K Mealamu, G Somerville, A Williams, M Tuiali'i, P Weepu, A Mauger, M Nonu.
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
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