Last line: Brice Dulin
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After two great victories last weekend, France and Argentina will face off in Lille in the latest episode of their passionate rivalry.
Victory for les Bleus lifted them into the top four of the IRB World Rankings, that crucial position that guarantees they will not have to face Australia, South Africa or New Zealand in the group stages of the World Cup in 2015.
That being said, if they perform to the same level as last Saturday in the Stade de France, then they could take down any side.
Fielding a side that was a blend of returning faces - Frederic Michalak and Yannick Nyanga - and new caps in Yannick Forestier and Jocelino Suta, France were outstanding at the scrum and breakdown against the Wallabies.
Michalak's return showcased the former Sharks and Toulouse fly-half at the height of his powers. Excellent with the boot, his passes were consistently accurate and he controlled the game surprisingly well considering he has spent the majority of this season playing at scrum-half for club side Toulon.
The power France showed in Paris at the contact area must be re-harnessed and then imposed on a strong Argentinian pack if victory is to be theirs.
That is, if their defence can handle the Pumas. Widely marked down as underdogs for their clash with Wales last weekend in Cardiff, Argentina put in a phenomenal performance.
With their set-piece running smoothly, they consistently produced dangerous attacks from a solid platform, giving Wales a whole host of problems. Playing in the Rugby Championship has clearly made them sharper - the offloading in the build-up to Juan Imhoff's try would have made the All Blacks proud.
Coping with the loss of the inspirational Felipe Contepomi, the two brilliant finishes from Imhoff and Gonzalo Camacho set the Pumas apart from their hosts. Nicolas Sanchez was decisive in the fly-half spot, smartly taking his drop goals when the opportunities presented themselves. This felt like a new, improved Argentina and heading to Lille, confidence will be on a high.
Clean possession will ultimately win the match and that is where, apart from his leadership, France will really miss Thierry Dusautoir. Wales struggled to get a lot of change off Argentina at the breakdown and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Juan Manuel Leguizamon were both phenomenal at securing possession and turning over the ball.
A lot will hinge on the scrummaging battle between the world-class Nicolas Mas and Marcos Ayerza on one side, and the inexperienced Forestier and rising star Juan Figallo on the other.
Argentina's approach of taking drop goals when possible away from home may prove decisive, given that recent fixtures between the two sides have either been especially close or blowouts.
Given the confidence in both camps after last week's success, this should be tight.
Players to watch:
For France: Unbelievably, last weekend against Australia was Yannick Nyanga's first game for France in five years. The Toulouse stalwart had been exiled since France's disappointing third-place playoff defeat to Argentina back in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, not winning a single cap during the Marc Lièvremont era. He was excellent on his return against the Wallabies, eager to prove he belonged and admirably filling the boots of club team-mate Dusautoir. Elsewhere, wrecking ball Louis Picamoles caused chaos for Australia last weekend, so expect the same again.
For Argentina: The talisman. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe made the Millennium Stadium pitch feel small last weekend, popping up everywhere. His offload for Imhoff's try was sensational, accompanying his usual impressive tackle count and presence at the breakdown. An adopted son of France plying his trade in Toulon, Fernandez Lobbe will relish the chance to pick up a victory over his club team-mates. Elsewhere, Marcelo Bosch comes in at inside centre to replace the injured Contepomi, looking to back up his impressive outings in The Rugby Championship.
Head-to-head: Hard to overlook the front-row battle between Nicolas Mas and Marcos Ayerza. The Frenchman, like all good props, simply gets better with age and enjoyed a destructive evening against the Wallabies last weekend in Paris. Ayerza on the other hand has been patiently biding his time behind Rodrigo Roncero, but with the great Puma now retired, Ayerza has his chance to shine. Wales debutant Aaron Jarvis proved to be an ample appetiser for the Leicester loosehead - Mas might prove difficult to swallow.
Previous results:
2012: France won 49-10 in Tucuman
2012: Argentina won 23-20 in Cordoba
2010: France won 15-9 in Montpellier
2010: Argentina won 41-13 in Buenos Aires
2008: France won 12-6 in Marseille
2007: Argentina won 34-10 in Paris
2007: Argentina won 17-12 in Paris
2006: France won 27-26 in Paris
2004: Argentina won 24-14 in Marseille
2003: Argentina won 33-32 in Buenos Aires
2003: Argentina won 10-6 in Buenos Aires
Prediction: Fast developing into one of the game's great rivalries, previous results indicate that home advantage does not necessarily guarantee a victory. When you factor in the confidence of both camps following last weekend's wins, the gap closes even further. Close games are often dictated by defensive discipline and accuracy with the boot, making that battle at the scrum essential.
France's demolition of Australia was a far cry from their fourth placed finish in last year's Six Nations. Argentina's introduction into the Rugby Championship is already showing signs of a successful return. This will be close. France by six points.
The teams:
France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Wesley Fofana, 13 Florian Fritz , 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Vincent Clerc, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Papé (c), 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Yannick Forestier.
Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Thomas Domingo, 18 Vincent Debaty, 19 Jocelino Suta, 20 Damien Chouly, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Francois Trinh-Duc, 23 Yoann Huget.
Argentina: 15 Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, 14 Horacio Agulla, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Marcelo Bosch, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 6 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 5 Julio Farias Cabello, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Eusebio Guinazu, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Nahuel Lobo, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Tomas Vallejos, 20 Tomas De la Vega, 21 Tomas Cubelli, 22 Gonzalo Camacho, 23 Joaquin Tuculet.
Date: Saturday, 17 November
Venue: Stade Lille Metropole
Kick-off: 21:00 local (20:00 GMT)
Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), David Changleng (Scotland)
Television match official: Carlo Damasco (Italy)
By Ben Coles
@bencoles_
Comments
PREEST says...
Pumas are on a roll. I think the Pumas will get the better of this one. They have the physiological advantage over France I think, as they have been the better team of the two over the past several years.
Go Pumas! Do it for the Southern Hemisphere!
Posted 11:56 16th November 2012
Uchach says...
Front row battle at its best.
In this head-to-head, I bet on the french one, who looks more experienced. War of attrition could count during second half.
The support of second & third row on the rucks is a more open battle, but I think the return of Maestri and the absence of Albacete give an edge to France too.
The real danger for France imo is the ability of Michalak to play a rather restrictive game against a team who will play counter-attacks & interception. If he stays cold blooded as against Australia, it should be ok for France, else it should look like a lot the first Argentina-France of World Cup 2007.
I think France will be serious and my bet is on them. But if Argentina somehow manages to instill doubt during the first half, everything is possible...
Posted 11:20 16th November 2012
Vonvon says...
This game will be a trench war, as usual. Both teams know each other pretty well since most Argentinians play in France and they know how to neutralize each other. Massive battle up front expected so I guess it is all about keeping the ball and being ultra-realistic.
Against Australia, we could score at every opportunity and we will need to be that cynical again.
I hope Freddie can have two good games in a row: he missed on 3 occasions to kick in touch last saturday (not sure about this one, sorry for my English), giving the australians the opportunity to counter-attack and I wouldn't like to see Imhoff do that tomorrow.
Oh and I bought my Pumas jersey when I was in Buenos Aires last May and it was pretty difficult to find one. I hope it will be easier soon.
Allez les bleus!
Posted 10:51 16th November 2012
rugby_rockstar says...
I'm gutted that this isn't on TV! Easily the pick of the weekend.
Posted 10:04 16th November 2012
TRIPERO says...
since the las prediction was wales by 8, i we can read Pumas by twelve... CAMON PUMAS!!!!
Posted 09:57 16th November 2012
sirtidychris says...
Two of the most closely matched sides in rugby, this will be a beaut, i love how argentina have emerged as world force.
Posted 09:36 16th November 2012
Rosbif says...
The Latin "clash of the titans". It's odd though. I can't remember the last time a side that just beat Australia by 30 points entered so fearfully into a game with Argentina. It really feels like a bigger challenge, with a good chance that France will come unstuck.
That is obviously a compliment to the Pumas.... but what does it say about the world's perception of that Wallaby performance last weekend? Were France good, or were Aus just really poor?
I guess we'll find out the answers to both those questions tomorrow.
ALLEZ!!!! VAMOS!!! Good luck to both teams.
P.S. I pray S Walsh does not adopt the same borderline patronising tone we saw in the opening SA vs Arg RC game. Fingers crossed, if it's a close game as expected, we're not talking about him all of next week....
Posted 09:35 16th November 2012
mlbp says...
This is the real test for the new-look France. They can count themselves lucky that Pato Albacete is not available, but they are up against a monster pack and a tough set of backs. The battle in the tight will be phenomenal (Maestri is really welcome) and I cannot see France winning this one easily, though. France are still weak in the tackle area and if they cannot punch holes in the Argentinian defence early they may despair and start making mistakes in their handling and in defence.
If France can have quick ball (so difficult against Argentina) and can release their backs then Nyanga can come in handy because he has more mobility than the Argentinian back row and can drive forward. Support play will be crucial.
It's still sad to see Fofana on the wing, but much better there than riding pine, though Huget has proved to be a physical winger who can be an impact sub later on in the game.
I can't wait to read Rosbif's, Lacroix's and Toulousain's analyses. We are missing Jean Luc Joinel, by the way...
Posted 08:54 16th November 2012
mfblions says...
come on Argentina...
Posted 08:29 16th November 2012