France make two changes for England clash

FRANCE head coach Marc Lievremont has made just two changes for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final with England in Auckland.

Les Bleus were beaten 19-14 by Tonga in Wellington last Saturday and Lievremont said his squad had “never got off the bus”, referring to the revolt by the France football team at the World Cup in South Africa.

But the controversial coach resisted wholesale changes for a match against their perennial rivals as France seek to put their Pool A defeats to New Zealand and Tonga behind them in the knockout phase.

Nicolas Mas is set to return from injury in place of Luc Ducalcon at tighthead prop, with No 8 Imanol Harinordoquy, pictured, promoted off the bench in place of Raphael Lakafia. Ducalcon and Lakafia drop out of the matchday 22, while Fabrice Estebanez is banned from the match for making a dangerous tackle after coming off the bench against Tonga.

England eliminated France from the 2007 World Cup at the semi-final stage and beat France 17-9 in the RBS Six Nations in February.

France: (v England at Eden Park on Saturday, kick-off 0830BST): M Medard; V Clerc, A Rougerie, M Mermoz, A Palisson; M Parra, D Yachvili; JB Poux, W Servat, N Mas, P Pape, L Nallet, T Dusautoir (capt), J Bonnaire, I Harinordoquy. Substitutes: D Szarzewski, F Barcella, J Pierre, L Picamoles, F Trinh-Duc, D Marty, C Heymans.