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Subscribe to RSS FeedPreview: Argentina v France
Ignacio Corleto: once more to confound the French for Argentina?
Traditionally this is the most unmemorable match of the whole World Cup, the one nobody wants to play. Both teams bust a gut in the semi-final and had the hope of the crown dashed from them. Now they are left with unappetising left-overs.
It depends, of course, on how they approach this match. But perhaps Agustín Pichot, Argentina's leader, who said it after the semi-final: "For us the World Cup is over." Motivation for this is low.
Previously there was an effort to provide motivation by absolving the third-placed side from having to qualify for the next World festival. That's gone. Now they talk about the bronze medal. It is the Bronze Medal match. Bronze. It would fool nobody that it was anything like gold, and they had all come to France on a gold rush.
Who will be more motivated? Pichot's words may just have been the outpouring of bitterness in the moment of defeat. If you look at the side they have chosen, it is a serious team.
So there are six changes but they are not willy-nilly changes. Injury has dictated them, and Gonzalo Longo, Agustín Pichot, Juan Martín Hernández, Felipe Contepomi and Ignacio Corleto are still there.
There are motivating factors for the Pumas. First there must be pride in their recent achievements. They would want to maintain standard. After all winning has become a habit for the Pumas. Then they are playing against their neighbours. They play with them in France and now have a second crack at beating them. Thirdly, they will want to prove that their victory over France in the pool matches was no flash in the pan. Lastly, this is certainly Marcelo Loffreda's last match as coach and he, building on Grizz Wylie's foundation, has taken the Pumas to lofty respect in the rugby world. Those are good reasons to pull out all the stops.
Bernard Laporte, too, will be coaching France for the last time. Presumably that will have an emotional impact on the French. It is France's home World Cup. For only the second time the host country will not be playing in the final. That is disappointment enough, which may stir some resolve in the descendants of Vercingetorix, who in ancient times did not take kindly to defeat. But they have made many changes, perhaps interesting ones.
This time, it seems, they have chosen a team to run. Out go the boom-boom boots of Damien Traille, Cédric Heymans and Lionel Beauxis and in come the runners - Clément Poitrenaud, Christophe Dominici and Aurélien Rougerie, and above all the erratic artist Frédéric Michalak. In the pack, too, they have ball-carriers in Imañol Harinordoquy, Thierry Dusautoir, Yannick Nyanga and Lionel Nallet. Rarely in this World Cup, they actually have a full-back at full-back and a sophisticated runner at that. Perhaps the French are suddenly going to break out.
The biggest motivation may just be the people of France. They can vilify as no other nation can vilify. The last time France played at Parc des Princes was in 1997, and the French people certainly vilified them then, treating their team with disgust and the visiting South Africans with praise and honour. The French side must know they have disappointed an enthusiastic nation who have done so much to make this World Cup so joyous. Surely, Les Bleus will not want to go out with a whimper. They started with a whimper when the Pumas beat them. Surely they will not want to end with a whimper, again beaten by the Pumas. Surely they will not want to be vilified.
The Pumas are likely to play much the same style of rugby - big kicks, eager counter-attack, deadly tackling and power in the game's collisions. France may - just may - want to avoid all of that by playing the brand of rugby for which they used to be so famous. It could just be a fascinating encounter of conflicting styles.
Players to watch There may well be players playing for the last time. It would be best to watch them all in gratitude for the great things they have done for the world's greatest game.
You will see Frédéric Michalak of France and you will hope for something scintillating from Clément Poitrenaud (France) at full-back, looking for chances to run, a delicate and skilful player, also a fragile one. Then there is that energetic star of France's World Cup campaign - Thierry Dusautoir, who tackles, jumps in line-outs, runs with the ball, and plays with complete concentration.
On the Puma side, you will hope for some bustling adventure from fullback Ignacio Corleto and a busy game from Agustín Pichot, but the man you will undoubtedly be most aware of is Juan Martín Hernández.
Head to Head: It's not quite the same Puma front row without Mario Ledesma and Juan Martín Scelzo but Rodrigo Roncero is still there and it could still be an interesting clash - front row against front row.
At inside centre there is an interesting match-up between skilled, clever Felipe Contepomi of Argentina and big, direct David Skrela of France. Theirs may also be a goal-kicking duel.
But the clash of the night may just be between big, skilful, unemotional-looking Juan Martín Hernández and delicate, skilful Frédéric Michalak who would look more at home in an alternative band than on a rugby field.
Recent results:
2007: Argentina won 17-12 at Stade de France, Paris, in the opening match of the World Cup
2006: France won 27-26 at Stade de France, Paris
2004: Argentina won 24-14 at Stade Vélodrome, Marseilles
2003: Argentina won 33-32 at Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
2003: Argentina won 190-6 at Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
2002: Argentina won 28-27 at Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
1999: France won 47-26 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin in the quarter-final of the World Cup
Prediction: Both sides may just end up, despite themselves, playing flat out. In that case France may well do what South Africa did - run too fast and pass too skilfully when it mattered and win by 15 points or more.
France: 15 Clément Poitrenaud, 14 Aurélien Rougerie, 13 David Marty, 12 David Skrela, 11 Christophe Dominici, 10 Frédéric Michalak, 9 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 8 Imañol Harinordoquy, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Jérôme Thion, 4 Lionel Nallet, 3 Pieter de Villiers, 2 Raphaël Ibañez (captain), 1 Jean-Baptiste Poux.
Replacements: 16 Sebastian Bruno, 17 Nicolas Mas, 18 Sébastien Chabal, 19 Rémy Martin, 20 Pierre Mignoni, 21 Lionel Beauxis, 22 Vincent Clerc.
Argentina: 15 Ignacio Corleto, 14 Federico Martin Aramburu, 13 Manuel Contepomi, 12 Felipe Contepomi, 11 Horacio Agulla, 10 Juan Martín Hernández, 9 Agustín Pichot (captain), 8 Gonzalo Longo Elía, 7 Juan Martín Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Martín Durand, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Rimas Álvarez Kairelis, 3 Omar Hasan Jalil, 2 Alberto Vernet Basualdo, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements: 16 Marcos Ayerza, 17 Eusebio Guiñazu, 18 Esteban Lozada, 19 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 20 Nicolás Fernandez Miranda, 21 Federico Todeschini, 22 Hernán Senillosa.
Date: Friday 12 October, 2007
Kick off: 21.00 (20.00 BST, 19.00 GMT)
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris
Expected weather conditions: Partly cloudy with a high of 13°C and a northeaster of 18 km/h.
Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Stuart Dickinson (Australia), Nigel Owens (Wales)
Television match official: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Assessor: Tappe Henning (South Africa)
