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

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • 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
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • 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
    • Herald NOW
    • 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
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • 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

Ian Borthwick: Even out of form, France can still win

By Ian Borthwick
NZ Herald·
1 Sep, 2011 09:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Maxime Medard is among France's line-up of talented backs. Photo / Getty Images

Maxime Medard is among France's line-up of talented backs. Photo / Getty Images

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

France can do it, just don't say 'dark horses', writes Ian Borthwick

The French language has no equivalent for the expression "dark horse". Which is probably just as well, as it would no doubt have become one of those tiresome cliches that we scribblers trot out every four years when Rugby World Cup comes around.

For Anglophones, however, it is a handy label when trying to pigeon-hole these French roosters. Given the bewildering variations in les Bleus' performance over the past few seasons, you never know what to expect. They were trounced 59-10 by Australia in Paris last November, and tumbled to an all-time low against Italy in this year's Six Nations, losing 22-21 in Rome. On the other hand, they beat the All Blacks in Dunedin in 2009, they won a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2010, and France is still the only Northern nation to have won a series in New Zealand (2-0 in 1994).

While their erratic results over the past two years leave much to be desired, the two build-up games against Ireland had a promising look. And history has shown they have a nasty tendency to produce major upsets at le Mondial. Sydney 1987, Twickenham 1999, Cardiff 2007... in World Cup lore, these are synonymous with France's uncanny ability to upset the apple-cart by taking out the tournament favourites.

It is difficult trying to identify the type of game Thierry Dusautoir and his men are attempting to play. At the core of the problem is the domestic competition and the priority given to the French clubs, at the expense of the national XV. The Top 14 may well be regarded as the premium club competition in world rugby, at least when you consider the list of big-name international players who make the move to France every year. Paradoxically, however, the Top 14 has evolved into a competition where teams play not so much to win, but to avoid defeat.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Rugby a la francaise is no longer but a figment of the imagination," Marc Lievremont said. But the former test flanker hopes to change all that, by unleashing his players with a style of game plan more akin to the French rugby of old. The kind of game, based on speed, skill, and inspiration, that stirs the soul. But given the limited access to his players, the style of play Lievremont has never yet been able to put in place.

What then will the French bring to the tournament? Up front, their scrum power is a given and when they are on song, they have one of the best lineouts in world rugby, with loose forwards Imanol Harinordoquy, Julien Bonnaire, and Fulgence Ouedraogo, not to mention skipper Dusautoir giving them a host of jumping options at the back.

In the backline, while Francois Trinh-Duc has developed into a truly world class first five-eighths, capable of marshalling his troops and controlling the game, expect also to see some fireworks from the likes of Maxime Medard, Cedric Heymans, Aurelien Rougerie and Maxime Mermoz. If they click, the French will once again bring their inimitable qualities of creativity and flamboyance to the World Cup. And if they do that, you can count on les Bleus to be more than just the "dark horses".

* Ian Borthwick is a rugby correspondent for L'Equipe, in Paris.

Discover more

Rugby World Cup

Chris Hewett: As always, England will get their kicks

01 Sep 09:30 PM
Rugby World Cup

Andrew Slack: Genia at heart of everyone's plans

01 Sep 09:30 PM
Rugby World Cup

Rugby: Read in for battle of No 8s

01 Sep 09:30 PM
Rugby World Cup

Rugby: De Villiers bets all on experience

01 Sep 09:30 PM
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Rugby World Cup

Rugby

Richie Mo'unga rejoins NZ Rugby on 18-month contract

New Zealand

'Two bits of gold': How ballet and sumo transformed the All Blacks

New Zealand

Watch Live : Scott Robertson live with Jason Pine

Watch

Sponsored

Revealed: The night driving ‘red flag’

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rugby World Cup

Richie Mo'unga rejoins NZ Rugby on 18-month contract
Rugby

Richie Mo'unga rejoins NZ Rugby on 18-month contract

His contract includes the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

07 Aug 02:00 AM
'Two bits of gold': How ballet and sumo transformed the All Blacks
New Zealand

'Two bits of gold': How ballet and sumo transformed the All Blacks

12 Jul 05:00 PM
Watch Live : Scott Robertson live with Jason Pine
New Zealand

Watch Live : Scott Robertson live with Jason Pine

Watch
29 Jun 12:06 AM


Revealed: The night driving ‘red flag’
Sponsored

Revealed: The night driving ‘red flag’

04 Aug 11:37 PM
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
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • 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