RWC 2011 Quarter Final Preview - England v France | Thebigtip

The other Northern Hemisphere quarter final features two teams who have inspired more newspaper inches for their off field dramas than for their performances on it. England coach, Martin Johnson has struggled to keep his charges in check, allegations of inappropriate behaviour having marred their time in New Zealand.  French mentor, Marc Lievremont also has his fair share of problems to deal with.

Insiders suggest that the coach and his captain, Thierry Dusautoir are in the midst of a mutiny led by several of their senior players, including veteran backrower, Imanol Harinordiquy and halfback, Dmitri Yachvili. Both teams must put these distractions aside on Saturday night and concentrate on the game of footy at hand.

As well as that, both teams have selection issues in the crucial first five-eighths role. Lievremont controversially benched first choice playmaker, Francois Trin-Duc for the All Blacks game in favour of Morgan Parra, a converted halfback, while Johnson must soon make a choice between the reliability of 2003 Cup winning super boot Johnny Wilkinson and young tyro Toby Flood.

Form Guide: England WWWW (most recent result first)

England barely managed to hold out a fired-up Pumas side as the physical Argentinians bossed around their rusty pack and Wilkinson struggled to find his radar with the boot. Next followed a couple of solid, if unspectacular wins over Georgia and Romania before another close call saw them sneak past the impassioned Scots. They did enough to top Pool B but you get the feeling they are still not at their best.

Form Guide: France LLWW

Les Coqs survived a couple of bold displays from Japan and Canada to go two from two, but it was all down hill from there. They were humbled by an impressive All Blacks side before a lacklustre performance against Tonga saw them lose what was, essentially, a dead rubber. Had Tonga beaten the Canuks  (as they were expected too) two weeks prior, Dusautoir and his men may have found themselves on an early flight home.

Key Players

It is hard to go past Vincent Clerc for France. He has been one of the few Frenchmen to impress at this tournament and one of the best outside backs on display. If he can find space to run at the back, England will find him very very difficult to contain.

Morgan Parra is a man with much to prove.  For most, he is an unpopular choice at fly half (a position he has filled on only two other occasions – both at this World Cup) and his defensive frailties in particular were exposed as New Zealand and Tonga ran riot on the inside channel.

Unlike the rest of his team, England centre Manu Tuilagi has looked better and better with every appearance. He is a bruising runner in the mould of New Zealand’s Ma’a Nonu and a few solid line breaks each game are inevitable. The French midfield is not their strong suit and they will be hoping Tulagi doesn’t see too much of the ball.

Verdict

It is a case of English solidity versus French flair. Neither team has been at their best in this tournament so far and will have to crank things up a gear if they want progress to the semis. As the All Blacks found out in 2007, you write France off at your peril, but England’s temperament should get them home. England, just.