Kiwi media stung by France's 'B' team

Rugby World Cup:MIDWEEK CONSTITUTES a bit of a lull in match-day action, so the gaps have to be filled somehow. But even so, the media furore which has greeted Marc Lièvremont's team selection for the eagerly awaited World Cup rematch between New Zealand and France has been quite extraordinary.

“World Cup’s $450 French farce” screamed the banner headline in the front page of The New Zealand Herald, above a sub-heading of “Fans pay big bucks to see All Blacks play B team” over pictures of the two captains in action, Thierry Dusautoir and Richie McCaw.

The day’s lead page one piece quoted one of their own (English) columnists in citing Lièvremont’s selection as “an insult to the 60,000 who have bought tickets” and randomly quoted three disgruntled All Blacks fans to underline the point.

First off, it wasn’t Lièvremont, his players or the French Federation who set such exorbitant prices for match-day tickets at Eden Park (NZ$450 equates to €280-plus).

As for the notion this is a “B” team? For starters, Thierry Dusautoir will be there to lead the side, and as Ireland can testify from the two defeats in August, there’s little to choose between their front-rowers, secondrowers and back-rowers.

Jean-Baptiste Poux is a superb scrummager, Dimitri Szarzewski, was due a start, and Lionel Nallet a “B” teamer? Louis Picamoles has clearly, as Lièvremont has stated, been given a chance to nail down the starting number eight role ahead of the inexperienced Raphael Lakafia. It’s true Imanol Harinordoquy isn’t starting, but he is on the bench.

As for the backline, it could probably be deemed first-choice in all bar two starting positions, outhalf and, you’d hope for France’s sake, fullback. Morgan Parra will make his first Test start at outhalf, it is true, but there were few other options once Lièvremont over-looked Frederic Michalak and Lionel Beauxis to replace the departed David Skrela. And François Trinh-Duc is on the bench.

Cedric Heymans is, by rights, a more natural choice than Damien Traille at fullback, but then again, ironically, Traille was France’s full-back when they sensationally beat the All Blacks in the quarter-finals four years ago.

As for the others, leading try scorer Vincent Clerc has been retained on the right wing and Maxime Medard, assuredly a first-choice, has been recalled on the left wing. Maxime Mermoz would probably have started the World Cup as first-choice inside centre but for being injured against Ireland in Bordeaux and it has become quite clear of late Dimitri Yachvili has replaced Parra as first-choice scrumhalf. A “B” team?

Nor do the outraged members of the New Zealand media know Lièvremont very well, for by the standards of Mr Tinkerman, this selection is not that daft.

There have been far, far dafter over the years.

In all of this, as well, there have been repeated claims, founded on the Southern Hemisphere’s superiority complex, that thanks to Ireland’s win upsetting all pre-conceived notions about how the seedings and qualifiers for the knock-out stages would pan out, France are effectively planning to lose and earn a passage into “the easier half of the draw”. You’d swear the All Blacks never rested up some of their front liners.

“Yes, of course we want to lose,” smiled Yachvili in chiding a television interviewer the other day.

Perhaps all this will serve to wreck the hosts’ heads. Perhaps Ireland’s win and the way the knock-out stages are beginning to shape will also allow the French to swing from the hip. It’s also hard to imagine La Marseillaise and the haka being a prelude to some kind of sevens-style jaunt.

The best two World Cup matches of all, arguably, have been France’s magnificent wins over New Zealand in the 1999 semi-finals at Twickenham and the quarter-finals four years ago. New Zealand want full-on revenge, against the best France can throw at them. Forget the rip-off prices at Eden Park (set by the organizers!). Underneath it all, that is where they really feel short-changed.

New Zealand’s last defeat at Eden Park to anyone was to France in 1994, courtesy of the famed ‘try from the end of the earth’. With revenge in their nostrils and the greater compunction to win on their own soil the All Blacks may well indeed win by more than 20. But this is not a French B team, and the French did not set the ticket prices.

For their part, New Zealand last night named a full-strength team for the tie with captain Richie McCaw and outhalf Dan Carter returning to the line-up following injury. Israel Dagg gets the call over Mils Muliaina at fullback with Sonny Bill Williams on the bench.

NEW ZEALAND (v France): I Dagg; C Jane, C Smith, M Nonu, R Kahui; D Carter, P Weepu; T Woodcock, K Mealamu, O Franks, B Thorn, S Whitelock, J Kaino, R McCaw (capt), A Thomson. Replacements: A Hore, B Franks, A Williams, A Boric, A Ellis, C Slade, S Williams.