Wacky French coach Marc Lievremont has stuck with the same starting fifteen for this weekend’s semi-finals against Wales.
After a series of stuttering displays in the pool stages, France burst to life in the quarter-finals against England and having been written off earlier in the competition, suddenly look like contenders yet again.
As a result of a vastly improved display against Martin Johnson’s side, Lievremont has seen no need to meddle with the starting XV for the meeting with a Welsh side who spoiled Ireland’s party in Wellington on Saturday.
The French coach, who has been sporting a typically Gallic if ill-advised pencil-thin moustache, is potentially entering his last game in charge of the national team, as he is set to be replaced by Philippe Saint-André after the tournament.
The two sides go head to head in Auckland on Sunday at 8am Irish time.
France team to play Wales: Maxime Médard; Vincent Clerc, Aurélien Rougerie, Maxime Mermoz, Alexis Palisson; Morgan Parra, Dimitri Yachvili; Jean-Baptiste Poux, William Servat, Nicolas Mas; Pascal Papé, Lionel Nallet, Thierry Dusautoir (captain), Julien Bonnaire, Imanol Harinordoquy.
Replacements: Dimitri Szarzewski, Fabien Barcella, Julien Pierre, Louis Picamoles, Francois Trinh-Duc, David Marty, Cedric Heymans.
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