French coach Bernard Laporte. Photo / Reuters
MARCOUSSIS - French players and coaches are puzzled by the wholesale changes in an England team deprived of Phil Vickery and Jonny Wilkinson but will be on their guard on Monday (NZT).
"It's surprising but beware of the English Lions, particularly when they are injured and play in
their Twickenham lair backed by 80,000 supporters ready to strike up Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," team manager Jo Maso said today.
"They changed eight players and such a reshuffle is not easy to manage but I'm sure that those guys will cross the white line with the will to prove they deserve to play that game and to be selected for the World Cup.
"The only one we know well is Mike Catt. He has a lot of experience and played a major part in the 2003 World Cup because of his reassuring influence over the backline."
Halfback Dimitri Yachvili, who started his professional career with Gloucester, said he knew English players well enough to be "sure that they will not give up until the last minute of the game".
"I know some of the new guys. They all are great competitors and have the mental and physical strength to get over this time of adversity," said Wasps hooker Raphael Ibanez, who will captain France on Sunday.
"I'm sure they will play a simple game and try to smash us," added No 8 Sebastien Chabal, who also plays club rugby in England for Sale Sharks.
Asked to analyse England's decline since they won the 2003 World Cup, coach Bernard Laporte said: "England were strong at the time because they had players who were the best in the world.
"Martyn Johnson was enormous, Jonny Wilkinson at the time was a monster, their front row was enormous, Neil Back was a monster.
"People couldn't care less if it was Clive Woodward who was coaching them or my grandfather. The important people are the ones who are on the field.
"I'm not saying that today's England players are bad players but they are not the best players in the world any more."
- REUTERS
