France coach Philippe Saint-André has named an experienced 23-man squad for Saturday's outing against Australia, cutting fringe players from his provisional group of 33.
The former Toulon boss has drafted novice prop Yannick Forestier and lock Jocelino Suta into the squad, while scrum-half Morgan Parra has also been included, despite his coming off a thigh injury.
At flanker, Saint-André preferred Yannick Nyanga (who won the last of his 25 caps back in 2007) to the promising Pierrick Gunther, who has played well for Toulon this season but is uncapped.
However, Saint-André did retain 23-year-old scrum-half Maxime Machenaud, who impressed on his Test debut against Argentina in June, scoring a try.
Toulouse winger Yoann Huget is also included.
The Bleus coach, who will unveil his starting XV on Thursday, has thus retained only two of eight new faces called together for a preparation phase.
"Yannick is playing very well with Castres," said Saint-André.
On Parra's fitness he added: "For Parra there is good news - he's running again able to accelerate... he's 100 per cent."
The French will be looking for their first win over the Wallabies since a 26-16 win in Marseille in November 2005 and hence will be looking to rely heavily on experience.
France are ranked fifth and also aiming to improve their position with a view to being among the seeded teams at the next World Cup in 2015.
French squad to face Australia:
Forwards (13): Thomas Domingo (Clermont), Yannick Forestier (Castres), Benjamin Kayser (Clermont), Dimitri Szarzewski (Racing-Metro), Vincent Debaty (Clermont), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Yoann Maestri (Toulouse, Pascal Pape (capt, Stade Francais), Jocelino Suta (Toulon), Damien Chouly (Clermont), Yannick Nyanga (Toulouse), Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Louis Picamoles (Toulouse)
Backs (10): Maxime Machenaud (Racing-Metro), Morgan Parra (Clermont), Frederic Michalak (Toulon), Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Vincent Clerc (Toulouse), Brice Dulin (Castres), Wesley Fofana (Clermont), Florian Fritz (Toulouse), Yoann Huget (Toulouse), Maxime Mermoz (Toulon)
Comments
lacroix says...
@rosbif- excellent analysis and i hope PSA agrees with almost all your starting choices... except i think you have to start with fofana..genuinely world class, one of the fittest men in the squad and someone whose form will genuinely frighten the australians.
i'm telling myself i dont care about the result-just want a performance...but i'd love to see melkdave's suggestion of a big french win!!
heart says we could win it (i don't think by big margin) but head says we'll lose to a side who after all have largely played together at the highest level and come off that great 'win' against the ABs
Posted 22:34 07th November 2012
Rosbif says...
My view on the starting XV would be Domingo-Szarz-Mas, Pape-Maestri, Ouedraogo-Pic-Nyanga, Machenaud-Michalak, Mermoz-Fritz, Clerc-Huget-Dulin.
Front row: Debaty tends to play as an impact sub for Clermont. Kayser is his club mate so they can come on together and form an all-Clermont front row from 50 mins. I don't know enough about Forestier but I imagine he is the 23rd man in the squad, so may not come on at all, unless someone is really injured.
Second row - obvious choices to start. Suta as impact sub, since he can play 6 as well.
Back row - I pick Nyanga over Chouly to start since Aus play with tempo and we need to cover the width of the field. Also Nyanga gives you a line-out option at the tail. Chouly can come on at 8 or 6 later in the game.
Half backs - since FTD and Machenaud don't kick goals, you need one of Parra or Michalak to start. You could have both, which would be interesting (!) But I guess PSA will stick with his 9-10 combination from the Argentinian 2nd test. FTD on bench can also come on at 12 or 15 if needed.
Centres - Again I think PSA sticks with his combination from the 2nd test vs Argentina. Fofana on bench can cover 12 and either wing, with Huget able to move to 15. Fritz is solid in defence, if a little erratic. The old argument says when he plays 13, the wings never get the ball, but I think that is overstated somewhat. (And people say the same about Fofana not knowing how to pass!)
Back three - Dulin is the only real 15 in the squad so he starts. He's been playing really well in T14. Huget can also play there in case Dulin is injured. Clerc is a natural starter.
Fingers crossed!!
Posted 09:21 07th November 2012
mlbp says...
@ all
What would be your ideal starting lineup for the match? Which of the 23 would you favour to start the match against Australia? I'm not too sure about the fullback position. The others seem to be well covered. Anyway, I cannot follow the Top14 from where I live but I try to read as much as I can about the French players and the results of the teams.
I agree with you that it's fantastic to have a nice set of well balanced comments for once. Discussion is always welcome but when it amounts to something. I remember that in June or July I wrote an extensive review of France's possibilities for the future ahead and I expected to receive some more feedback from the rest of the fans posting here. It would be great if we could do this more often.
Posted 19:54 06th November 2012
Rosbif says...
@all, thanks everyone by the way, it's nice (and pretty unusual!) to have a sensible discussion on these pages for once... will be fun to see the post-match thread once the usual SH posters arrive to mix it up hehehe :-)
Posted 13:00 06th November 2012
Rosbif says...
@Toulousain, I am also very excited, but maybe have been disappointed too often in the past to get my hopes up too high....
That's a very interesting analogy you make with Formula 1. The debate is usually whether it is better to start the season with a fast car that has reliability problems, or a reliable car that is not necessarily the fastest.
Most drivers want the fast car, and spend all season suffering early retirements, and patching up the reliability issues as they appear from race to race.
Most engineers, on the other hand, want a reliable car that they can then improve on with upgrades and modifications to squeeze out the extra speed.
I wonder what PSA is hoping for?
Posted 12:55 06th November 2012
Toulousain says...
miladiou - you are 100% right!! our clubs are too powerful and national coach too weak (or at least, ML was, I should maybe wait before judging PSA, but he has a difficult task) so that answers my 2 questions as you say :-)
mlbp - agree. the talent is there. even more so, one feels, than in previous years. maestri, fofana, fickou, buttin, tolofoua, gunther, martin - these are all really young guys who are shining in T14. on your other question, I fear barcella may never be the same player we saw in that test vs SA two winters ago. 2 knee operations. the resultant lack of confidence in your legs is catastrophic, especially for a prop. one can only hope he finds his true form, a little like domingo this season...
rosbif - you seem a little too pessimistic for me! the autumn is always an unknown. yes there is risk, but also you feel the excitement building, to see how this "new" team might play. it's like a new Formula 1 season. the car is shiny and new. and no-one really knows how fast it will be!!
Posted 11:14 06th November 2012
miladiou says...
@Toulousain - why not keep all 33? well because we can't. The agreement between clubs and FFR means we can only keep the match squad. All other nations keep 30 plus but again we lag behind due to the all powerful clubs.
Secondly - your suggestion to rotate is not a good one. That's what Lievremont did with disastrous results (WC final excepted). FFR have so little access to players that there needs to be continuity.
Posted 14:16 05th November 2012
mlbp says...
I see France beating Australia. Not by a great margin, but France has great talent.
@Toulousain
I suppose PSA has retained 23 players for this match and later he will rotate them depending on injuries/form/opposition teams.
My team against Australia would be:
Domingo-Szarzewski-Mas, Maestri-Papé, Nyanga-Ouedraogo-Picamoles, Parra-Trinh-Duc, Clerc-Fofana-Mermoz-Huget, Dulin.
But you know, as they say, there are 10 viewers and amongst them there are 20 coaches!
I hope Medard is back soon (fot the Six Nations), Yann David has great talent and he will be in the fold, Benjamin Fall is a great player who deserves a chance. Backs are still aplenty for France.
What about Barcella? Will he ever get back to that great form of some years ago before his injury?
I can't wait for all the matches to begin!
Posted 13:50 05th November 2012
melkdave says...
Still looks a pretty decent squad ,and @Rosbif echo your thoughts about those cut..But im alot more optomistic it seems than you my friend ,i really feel Australia could get a hammering in Paris,if France turn up to playPSA is a canny coach ,and i bet his been showing them the 50 +point thrashing they got last time against the wallabies,and turning the sound right up when the crowed booded France off.I would also have papers delivered at breakfast ,to drive home just what the french press and public thought of that performance.If that doesnt fire them up nothing would LOL.Also i feel aslong as France can do the basics well ,and pressure the Australian players ,by getting up quickly onto them ect.Natural french flair will open them up .Thats what im hoping for anyway lol.and a cracking game of course lol
Posted 13:11 05th November 2012
Toulousain says...
I think Mas, Pape and Clerc may be getting a little old for 2015. Even Titi will be one of the older ones by then! Also, I would add the Taofifenua boys and Samson to your forwards squad, and Bastareaud and Palisson to your backs.
Why not Benjamin Fall? I thought he was back to some good form. Better than Huget I think, who seems to only look good against weaker teams.
Why not keep all 33 players and rotate the squad for the 3 tests? Sending 10 guys back to their clubs, only to call them back to EDF if/when there are injuries, seems odd. This cut has been decided based on 1 opposed training run on a Sunday afternoon. Surely it would be better to see them all play in some real games?
Posted 12:52 05th November 2012
Rosbif says...
So the forwards not selected are Attoub, Ben Arous, Guirardo, Vahaamahina and Gunther. Backs released are Plisson, Fickou, Fall and Martin.
Of those, only Gunther and Vahaamahina are surprises for me. Fickou is getting all the press, but it's really too early for him to get his first cap. Plisson would have been interesting to see too. Maybe, if there are a few injuries, we might see some of them against Arg or Samoa?
Add Dusautoir, Toloufua, Medard, Malzieu, Yann David and possibly Harinordoquy, and that feels like the core group for RWC 2015.
Still think we lose this weekend by 20+, but happy to be proven wrong :-)
ALLEZ!!!
Posted 11:15 05th November 2012