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At number eight: Sebastien Chabal
France coach Marc Lièvremont has sprung another surprise by retaining Sébastien Chabal in the back row to face Italy on Saturday.
There are three changes to the starting XV as Julien Bonnaire takes over from Imanol Harinordoquy on the flank.
Veteran loosehead prop Sylvain Marconnet starts while Thomas Domingo drops out of the matchday 22 as Luc Ducalcon come onto the bench.
There is one change to the back line that ran out at Twickenham as Maxime Médard returns at full-back ahead of Clement Poitrenaud.
Lièvremont's decision to keep Chabal will be the main talking point after the "Caveman" was widely criticised for his performance in the loss to England.
The coach justified his choice by indicating that he feels the Racing Metro veteran needs more game time.
"I reviewed his match against England and he wasn't catastrophic," said Lièvremont at the team announcement.
While Harinordoquy, who was moved to flank to accommodate Chabal in the back row in London, drops to the bench, Lièvremont explained that the Biarrot is likely to return to the run-on team to face Wales next week.
Marconnet, France's most capped prop, gets a chance to show his worth after making an impact off the bench at Twickenham.
Domingo did not train on Monday and is set to remain on the sidelines again on Tuesday. Although he is expected to be fit to travel to Italy as the 23rd player, Lièvremont said he was left out of the side to get a chance to rest.
Médard's recall to the number fifteen shirt was expected after he was initially named to face England but was a late withdrawal due to a hamstring injury.
France: 15 Maxime Médard, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Aurelien Rougerie, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Vincent Clerc, 10 Francois Trinh-Duc, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Sébastien Chabal, 7 Julien Bonnaire, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 5 Lionel Nallet, 4 Julien Pierre, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 William Servat, 1 Sylvain Marconnet
Replacements:16 Guilhem Guirado, 17 Luc Ducalcon, 18 Jerome Thion, 19 Imanol Harinordoquy, 20 Morgan Parra, 21 Damien Traille, 22 Clement Poitrenaud.
Date: Saturday, March 12
Venue: Stadio Flaminio, Rome
Kick-off: 15.30 (14.30 GMT)
Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Comments
mlbp says...
@Ogonda
Of course Jauzion-Rougerie is not as good as the All Black pair of centres, but in good shape they can take on the Australians, while beating the rest of the centre pairings in Europe. Rougerie has surprised me positively and has undergone a change like Tana Umaga (from winger to centre), and Jauzion in his best days is head and shoulders above Hape, D'Arcy or Roberts.
I agree with you that number 8 and 9 are a serious problem for Lièvremont, and even number 10, as he refuses to bring on Dupuy, Beauxis and Picamoles. Apparently Picamoles is not playing as well as two years ago, according to what Miladiou says, and Lakafia can be the one to wear the number 8 shirt in the future. Beauxis has always been thwarted by wrong game plans, as Laporte only wanted him because of his boot, but I remember two or three years ago that he had some cracking matches with great creativity. Now that he is going to Toulouse he will benefit from being with Noves and all the outstanding back division Stade has. I sincerely hope he is the future number 10 for France, and as Kiwirooster says Trinh-Duc can become an inside centre so that Les Bleus play like New Zealand did with Carter and Mauger some years ago.
Posted 22:23 10th March 2011
JeanLucJoinel says...
@Ogonda- australia dn NZ aren't playing in the 6N when last i checked. are you suggesting Hape/Tindall or odriscoll/darcy are a better pairing than rougerie/jauzion? hardly.
Posted 22:22 10th March 2011
ogonda says...
I disagree LucJoinel. Let us be realistic, Jauzion-Rougerie combination lacks pace (former) and creativity, accordingly cannot match the Aussies (Derrick Barnes-Ashley Cooper) and All Blacks (Nonu-Conrad Smith). The problem is also glaring at No 8 (Chabal), and No 9 (Parra and Yachivili) positions. Lièvremont needs to address the said challenges if France is to be a serious contender for the 2011 World Cup.
Posted 14:36 10th March 2011
JeanLucJoinel says...
Lievremont is a major problem for french rugby. He has the best resources of talent of any NH country, and the perfomances have been almost invariably below par even in the wins for the slam last year. he is the factor holding france back more than anything- though the t14 schedule doesn't help.
the england game showed how poor tactically he is- we already know his selection is erratic at best. johnson took time to work out the ref in his pre match conversations with him, and the england scrum tactically played clancy like a fiddle and won penalties despite being outclassed up front.
i don't think chabal was as bad as all that versus england, but there's still many players ahead of him in quality and potential who seem to be out of favour with lievremont for god knows what reason. as miladiou says Lakafia is a class act for a start..
still wouldn't wrote off jauzion. he played well, and rougerie /jauzion is still the best centre pairing in the 6n this year.
Posted 22:49 09th March 2011
miladiou says...
Chabal is on his last chance (against the world's best 8). the kindest thing to do would have been to send him back to his club to recoup and try and find form. He was playing well before Nov but his health issues have really destroyed him.
Picamoles is a bit of a worry, he has lost weight cos Lievremont demanded he get in better shape. Now he has lost quite a bit of go forward power and his workrate in other aspects has not improved. Currently the young Biarrritz 8 Lakafia (& he is proper French) is well above. Had a stormer on Saturday and is the man keeping Harindornoquy at 7.
Posted 08:32 09th March 2011
justice_4_all says...
@all French Supporters, want to trade? You can have PDV for the rest of 2011, we'll take ML and the hairy one....use that cave man as cannon fodder in the pools against pacific islanders.
Posted 21:29 08th March 2011
Jondo says...
ok people don't talk tactics now because looking back the last few world cups, France lost to Tonga back in 1999 early on and went on to beat the all blacks in the semis.... 2007 they got thrashed by the All Blacks and then went on to beat them in the quarters just you wait....
Posted 19:42 08th March 2011
mlbp says...
I think France should start thinking of a future after Harinordoqui and Chabal, so I think this would have been a fantastic opportunity to bring Picamoles into the squad to be part of it as a true contender for the number 8 shirt. Chabal should have been dropped.
I agree with Bones, Monsieur Lievremont has gone from picking anybody who could look like being able to hold on to a ball to sticking to under/performing players because of his idea of creating a consistent squad. Maybe it is too late to do that. He should have stopped his tinkering last year and started building on a squad with the fantastic talent at his disposal. Dupuy and Beauxis are needed in this team.
I also agree with 5Lock4ward, this may be the last chance for Chabal, but he has a true challenge in the name of Sergio Parisse... France will definitely struggle against him. Zanni is growing as a player, and whether it is Bernabo, Sole or Barbieri at 7, the backrow is a really talented unit. Dusatoir and Bonnaire will have some hard work to do. The French front five will be dominant until Lievremont brings on Thion, who is well past his prime as a player, Ducalcon and Guirado. Let's hope Medard injects some pace into the backline.
Posted 19:11 08th March 2011
DaveJ says...
As if we needed further proof that Lièvremont is a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Whilst he is at the helm I think France will struggle to achieve... he's a complete liability. Drop one of the best 8's in world rugby for an overrated, disorientated goon like Chebal. He has been the worst player in the French squad so far this campaign. He was woeful 2 weeks ago.
Posted 17:12 08th March 2011
Zygote says...
It is with great regret that I must now acknowledge that France's hopes for the 2011 World Cup are lost in the mist of ML rose tinted glasses.
I had high hopes of ML ushering in a new era of fast, open, yet professionally disciplined international rugby for France.....
I must now concede that ML needs another 10 years or so of coaching experience under his belt before being allowed to learn the ropes with the national team. There is such a depth of coaching talent in France that is a shame to see France's playing talent being wasted by the current incumbent.
Does anyone else get the distinct impression that ML is still living his rugby days of a decade ago, with all the baggage that comes with it?
Posted 14:59 08th March 2011
Munster_mad says...
Chabal was poor, not only against England but also against Scotland and Ireland. Agree with Karl, he's no longer the barnstorming 8 he was, much less explosive and considering the back-row talent France have (Ouedraogo, Picamoles, Lauret & Vermeulen) it's a strange choice to say the least.
Posted 14:28 08th March 2011
kije says...
Unbelievable, the only possible explanation is as 5Lock4ward has stated. Lievremont is being very kind if that's so. We might be witnessing Chabals last stand? Up against Parisi I think so.
Posted 14:20 08th March 2011
bluelion says...
Or, more likely Imanol is in high demand by club and country. This is a game where he can be partially rested. Its good for the player.
"I reviewed his match against England and he wasn't catastrophic," although a player spoken about like this is hardly for the test team, is he?
Posted 13:45 08th March 2011
5Lock4ward says...
Relax everyone, ML knows Harinordoquy is his best option at #8. He's using this match against Italy as a chance to let Chabal run amok and regains some confidence, which we all know is huge for a rugby player. There's also probably been a conversation between he and Chabal insinuating that he needs to make good on this opportunity or else...
Posted 12:49 08th March 2011
benn says...
Some players are playing against Italy so that the best others can take a rest that's why players like Imanol are on the bench I guess... But against Wales, I don' think Chabal wiil play or just for the last 20 min...
Posted 12:22 08th March 2011
BoDiddly says...
Chabal is an over-hyped club player, how the hell is he even considered for International duty? Ridiculous
Posted 11:56 08th March 2011
7nezking says...
this is getting ridiculous. I bet if Chabal performs incredibly well against Italy ML would imply in all his interviews that he was right. Yeah but it's Italy and probably a one-off performance!!! I've always loved watching Chabal in games but only as an impact player, but he hasn't been performing (starting or coming off the bench) well since I don't know.
Posted 11:45 08th March 2011
Bones7 says...
I know it's easy to complain about coaches decisions when you're a spectator, but this is just ridiculous. His selection policy has gone from picking absolutely anyone to now sticking with players regardless performance. If Chabal had played well against England it might be understandable, giving him another run in the side whilst Harinordoquy rests, but ultimately he was appalling, and has no place in this French side with his current form and age. Without Chabal I think France would have run England a little bit closer than they did
Posted 09:16 08th March 2011
KarlDixon88 says...
Wow, really? I sometimes wonder whose side this guy is on. Apparently all you need to do to secure a place in the French team is put in a performance that "wasn't catastophic". I'd say even that is a matter of oppinion, he's been utter crap the last few times he's played, neither physically threatening or able to catch a ball...
Posted 09:10 08th March 2011
chinstan says...
OMG! ML has completely lost it now! That decision alone should get him the sack!
Posted 08:42 08th March 2011