NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / Rugby World Cup

All Blacks v France: The rise of an unexpected No 10

By David Leggat
Reporter·NZ Herald·
20 Oct, 2011 04:30 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

France's Morgan Parra admitted he had never imagined he would play a Rugby World Cup final at first five-eighths. Photo / Doug Sherring

France's Morgan Parra admitted he had never imagined he would play a Rugby World Cup final at first five-eighths. Photo / Doug Sherring

Morgan Parra expects to be back at halfback when he returns to his club side in France.

But that's for later. Here and now, all he's thinking about is justifying his coach's faith in his ability to help push France to victory in Sunday night's Rug y World Cup final against the All Blacks.

Parra arrived in New Zealand as No2 halfback behind the influential Dimitri Yachvili, but when coach Marc Lievremont began having doubts about first choice first five-eighths Francois Trinh-Duc's form, Parra was shoulder-tapped for the pool game against the All Blacks on September 24.

He's stayed there for the three subsequent games, steadily improving as his confidence has grown, and kicking an impeccable 3/3 in the semifinal win over Wales, when Yachvili had a night off goalkicking to ease the pressure on a heavily bruised thigh.

It offers an intriguing possibility about the remainder of what is shaping as a lengthy international career for the 22-year-old from Metz, who will play his 36th test on Sunday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I think when I go back to my club [Clermont Auvergne] I'm going back to No9," he said.

"To be a good No9 is one thing; but to be good at No10 this weekend is my objective. But as long as I'm playing and enjoying it I don't care where I'm playing. And certainly the more I've played the more comfortable I feel in that position and I think that will show itself on the pitch at the weekend."

Parra admitted he had never imagined he'd play a World Cup final at first five-eighths.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's a childhood dream of mine and I'm trying to make the most of it, trying to enjoy it as best I can. But for the dream to come true, we have to win this weekend."

Parra also made plain that a degree of siege mentality is settling on the French squad.

They've been pilloried for the quality of their rugby for most of the cup - the first half against England in their quarter-final a notable exception, although the English were dreadful - and have adopted an age-old approach.

"For several weeks it has been us against the world," Parra said yesterday. "We thought after England we would have more support. Following the Wales match it was still us against the world so now we're used to that."

Discover more

Rugby World Cup

French fans respond: 'We're not dead yet'

20 Oct 02:35 AM
Rugby World Cup

Buck Shelford: IRB care about money not the game

19 Oct 11:40 PM
Rugby World Cup

All Blacks: Dan Carter says 'the weekends are the toughest'

20 Oct 04:30 PM
Opinion

Peter Bills: Some heroic highs and sad lows thus far in the Rugby World Cup

20 Oct 04:30 PM

Several other French players have alluded to that mindset, and the importance of making it work to their advantage on Sunday.

They have spoken glowingly of the All Blacks' quality in recent days.

At the same time it has been noticeable that the volume is also slowly rising on their own chances on Sunday, players biting back against the critics, and talking of seizing the chance to write their names in cup history.

And Parra attempted to put to bed the talk of difficulties between Lievremont and the players, most recently seen in the coach describing as "spoiled brats" players who went out to celebrate their semifinal win last weekend over Wales, rather than keep a lid on their delight for one more week.

Parra denied there had been issues between coach and players.

"There have been negative rumours floating around about this team for some time now.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Maybe [Lievremont] was just annoyed. For certain players the World Cup has been quite difficult and maybe they needed to go out.

"The whole group didn't go out so I'm not sure why he called us all spoiled brats. But we've spoken about it amongst ourselves and that's the end of it."

Parra's match-up against the new All Blacks first five-eighths Aaron Cruden should be one of the more fascinating head-to-head contests of the final. Parra likes what he's seen of the little Manawatu man.

"He's a big player for them, important for the All Blacks. He wasn't afraid to put himself out there against Australia so I'm expecting a huge match against him."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup

‘Major failures’: French oversight costs Rugby World Cup $57m

08 Apr 06:15 PM
Rugby World Cup

Gatland waived six-figure settlement to leave Wales

12 Feb 06:09 PM
New Zealand

‘Nanny state’: Council proposes fizzy drink ban at sports stadium

01 Feb 04:00 PM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rugby World Cup

‘Major failures’: French oversight costs Rugby World Cup $57m

‘Major failures’: French oversight costs Rugby World Cup $57m

08 Apr 06:15 PM

The French government and FFR were blamed for failures of hosting the 2023 event.

Gatland waived six-figure settlement to leave Wales

Gatland waived six-figure settlement to leave Wales

12 Feb 06:09 PM
‘Nanny state’: Council proposes fizzy drink ban at sports stadium

‘Nanny state’: Council proposes fizzy drink ban at sports stadium

01 Feb 04:00 PM
Premium
Why Lions stars refused orders from Gatland’s coaching box on NZ tour

Why Lions stars refused orders from Gatland’s coaching box on NZ tour

11 Jan 04:00 PM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP