Share

Parra: France must be wary of Italy

Croydon - France must be wary of the threat of their opening rugby World Cup opponents Italy warned scrumhalf Morgan Parra on Monday.

Parra, who played in the 2011 World Cup final which France lost 8-7 to New Zealand, said the Italians would go for broke against them next Saturday as the French would be the one team the Italians would fancy upsetting.

Parra made the remarks despite the fact the Italians will be missing their one world-class player Sergio Parisse, who is recovering from surgery to drain a haematoma, a swelling of clotted blood in his left leg, last Monday.

"Of course we must be afraid," said Parra speaking at the team's base in Croydon, south of London.

"Italy will throw everything into this match. If they can sow seeds of doubt in one team I think they would choose us.

"What is more it is the first game for both sides in the tournament.

"Thus it is going to be a very tough game," added the 61-times capped 27-year-old.

Parra, who is not a certain starter as coach Philippe Saint-Andre has opted for Toulon's Sebastien Tillous-Borde in the last two warm-up matches the wins over England and Scotland, said there was no point projecting forward as to how France would fare.

"The best way for things to go wrong is to look too far ahead," said Parra.

"One has to have the ambition of being world champions but first it is imperative to get out of the pool.

"That phase starts with this match, which is a huge trap."

The French will go on to face minnows Canada and Romania before the climax, a potential table-topping decider against Six Nations champions Ireland, who Saint-Andre has yet to beat in four meetings.

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 ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 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