Danger men in pack as France name team

8.20am - By DANIEL GILHOOLY

PARIS - The quintet of French forwards who made life so miserable for the All Blacks in the drawn test at Stade de France two years ago are back again for this Saturday's clash.

The home forward pack will boast a combined test experience of 360 tests -- led by captain and 95-test veteran lock Fabien Pelous -- to New Zealand's 185.

Pelous, along with prop Pieter de Villiers, and the athletic loose forward trio of Imanol Harinordoquy, Serge Betsen and Olivier Magne , were key figures in the 2002 clash when a raw-looking New Zealand pack were given a lesson in forward play.

That the game ended 20-20 was a testament to the All Blacks' defence, superior back play and French first five-eighth Francois Gelez making a hash of two late penalty kicks at goal -- one a poor kick, and the other down to ignorance of the rules when his ball fell over.

However, the abiding memory is of de Villiers at the helm of a scrum that pushed and pulled New Zealand at will, while Pelous and the loose forwards reigned supreme at lineout time, winning more than half the All Blacks' 16 throws.

None of the five world class forwards -- who have played 285 tests between them -- started when an understrength France lost 13-40 to the All Blacks the last time the teams met in the World Cup third place play-off in Sydney in November.

This weekend, the All Blacks forwards, who tally 185 caps between them, are unlikely to be as overwhelmed in front of about 80,000 people as was the case two years ago. Most of the 95 caps in the pack then belonged to captain Taine Randell.

Experienced pair Anton Oliver and Norm Maxwell boost the tight five and are complemented by a tough loose trio of Richie McCaw, Jerry Collins and Rodney So'oialo.

Chris Jack, McCaw and Collins are back from the World Cup clash while none of the starting pack from two years ago will run out on Saturday.

And the All Blacks have experience in the backline -- 200 caps to France's 121 -- thanks mainly to captain Tana Umaga's 62 tests.

Umaga was outstanding two years ago, scoring a superb solo try highlighted by a fend to the face of Harinordoquy that sent the Number 8 flailing in mid-air.

The French team announced today saw de Villiers replace Olivier Milloud in the only change up front to the team beaten 14-24 by Argentina last weekend.

De Villiers missed that game and the 27-14 defeat of Australia a week earlier with a calf injury.

In the backs, Brian Liebenberg also returns from injury to replace Yannick Jauzion at second five-eighth.

He will line up alongside New Zealand-born centre Tony Marsh, while fullback Clement Poitrenaud replaces the dangerous but injured Nicolas Brusque.

French team:

Clement Poitrenaud, Aurelien Rougerie, Tony Marsh, Brian Liebenberg, Cedric Heymans, Frederic Michalak, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Imanol Harinordoquy, Olivier Magne, Serge Betsen, Fabien Pelous (captain), Jerome Thion, Pieter de Villiers, William Servat, Sylvain Marconnet. Reserves: Sebastien Bruno, Olivier Milloud, Pascal Pape, Julien Bonnaire, Julien Peyrelongue, Yannick Jauzion, Christophe Dominici.

- NZPA