Fighting talk: Barcella prefers to be the butcher than the pig
France prop Fabien Barcella may have made his debut against Six Nations minnows Italy last year but since then he has shown he can mix it with the very best.
The Biarritz forward has been involved in victories over the All Blacks as well as world champions South Africa, and in Marseille on Saturday he will try do it again to the Kiwis.
While the 26-year-old admits that everyone fears the All Blacks he has also adopted the maxim of "better to be the butcher than the pig".
Barcella, who hails from the rugby mad town of Agen, has benefitted from a two week rest since the 20-13 victory over the Springboks in Toulouse having been rested for the comfortable 43-5 win over Samoa last Saturday whilst others were sent back to their clubs and had to play for them last weekend.
Barcella's importance to the French - he is seen along with captain Thierry Dusautoir as indispensable - was pinpointed by scrum coach Didier Retiere.
"He is the prototype of today's props," enthused Retiere.
"He is able to perform not only in the scrum but is also extremely mobile and very prominent in the flow of the game.
"His modus operandi is exactly the type of game we want to put in place," purred Retiere.
Barcella's rise has been astonishing having only been a professional for three years at best and his dominance of opposite number John Smit during the victory over the Springboks - in which he was also instrumental in setting up a try - confirmed the qualities he displayed in the 27-22 win over the All Blacks in
Dunedin's 'House of Pain' earlier this year.
However, Barcella is not taking for granted that France has now assumed equal status with the southern hemisphere sides or that they are the finished product two years ahead of the World Cup finals in New Zealand.
"Only a short time ago we conceded 40 points at Twickenham. We know where we are coming from," admitted Barcella.
"In France we have a tendency to go over the top when we beat southern hemisphere sides. However, the coaching staff have kept our feet on the ground.
"There are still things to improve on, we still have to raise our level of play to beat them (southern hemisphere sides)."
Barcella, who has eclipsed Lionel Faure in the position which the latter looked to have made his own during the 2007 World Cup, confesses that the manner in which the All Blacks treat the sport is admirable in its intensity.
"They have a scrum coach who goes round all their clubs, and gives them lessons on their positioning. It is a very powerful and unified scrum.
"If we bungle the impact at the put-in, we will be pushed back several metres by them."
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