Share

France change 8 for final Test

Wellington - France coach Philippe Saint-Andre has replaced more than half the side that caved in against the All Blacks 30-0 last week in a desperate attempt to avoid a series whitewash in the final Test in New Plymouth on Saturday.

There are eight changes to the starting side, six on form and two to replace the injured Louis Picamoles and Frederic Michalak.

"We just tried to bring in very fresh guys and keep some experienced players," Saint-Andre said, noting the All Blacks have been beefed up with the established halves pairing of Dan Carter and Piri Weepu restored.

"With Louis Picamoles and Fred Michalak injured, we had to find some solutions. The All Blacks brought back a lot of experience with the scrumhalf and flyhalf."

However, to combat the Carter-Weepu partnership, Saint-Andre has gone for novices Jean-Marc Doussain, the Toulouse scrumhalf, and Castres pivot Remi Tales who have only three caps between them.

France club champions Castres also provides Marc Andreu on the wing and Brice Dulin at fullback with Maxime Medard unable to make the bench.

The shakeup in the forwards has Benjamin Kayser at hooker, Alexandre Flanquart at lock and Antonie Claassen and Damien Chouly in the back row which Saint-Andre expects will improve line-out throwing and jumping.

The All Blacks have already won the three-Test series after winning the first in Auckland 23-13 before commanding 30-0 in Christchurch a week later.

The final Test "will be a great opportunity for some guys to have a go against the best team in the world and also to show they can be a first choice for the Tests in November", Saint-Andre said.

"This tour allowed us to see the future of French rugby. There have been eight new capped players in this tour."

Teams:

New Zealand:

15 Israel Dagg, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Rene Ranger, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Victor Vito, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4  Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Wyatt Crockett

Substitutes: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Tony Woodcock, 18 Ben Franks, 19 Steven Luatua, 20 Matt Todd, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Charles Piutau

France:

15 Brice Dulin, 14 Marc Andreu, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Yohann Huget, 10 Remi Tales, 9 Jean Marc Doussain, 8 Antonie Claassen, 7 Damien Chouly, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (captain) 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Alexandre Flanquart, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Thomas Domingo

Substitutes: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Eddy Ben Arous, 18 Luc Ducalon, 19 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 20 Bernard le Roux, 21 Maxime Machenaud, 22 Camille Lopez, 23 Mathieu Bastareaud

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
loading... Live
North West 0
Warriors RSA 106/5
loading... Live
Titans RSA 0
Lions 114/4
loading... Live
Western Province 121/3
Boland 0
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1817 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1777 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1084 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 461 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE