France no handicap for All Blacks

Hosts France will be clinging to one memory when they take on New Zealand in Cardiff. It is a memory that will live long in the hearts of all French rugby fans, and one that made a certain Christophe Lamaison a national hero. I am talking of course, about Les Bleus' eye-poppingly brilliant World Cup semi-final defeat of the All Blacks at Twickenham in 1999. The stakes were similar, the teams were roughly matched as they are now, and yet it was moments of sheer clarity on the part of the French that saw them mesh to create one of the greatest victories that sport has ever seen. In an attempt to match that feat, coach Bernard Laporte has mixed up his squad and named a team that has set the cat amongst the cockerels. Damien Traille has been named at full-back; a position he has never played in professionally, and Lionel Beauxis, who many thought was third choice at fly-half, has been thrown the No.10 jersey. It is certainly curious, and perhaps Laporte is hoping that the team rely on their instincts to get them out of the mess he put them into. Traille has one of the biggest kicks in world rugby, but quite what Laporte thinks he is going to do with it is another matter. The All Blacks want the ball. They make flanker Richie McCaw run about 20 miles a match in search of it. And yet, Laporte's best plan is to hem the Kiwis in their own half. There are numerous problems with this train of thought. Firstly, he is counting on Traille hitting touch each time. Secondly, with McCaw around, the chance of France getting the ball back are small. Lastly, the All Blacks line-out is not as fallible as everyone would have you believe. Italy have one of the best line-out combinations in the world and New Zealand poached two throw-ins from them. If you can remember that far back, McCaw's two tries against them stemmed from that particular set-piece as well. France are clearly panicking, and their head-to-head record against the All Blacks since the last World Cup is appalling. France have their backs slammed right up against the wall, and although they sometimes perform well in this sort of situation, the odds suggest that they will struggle to do so this time. Verdict: 2pts New Zealand -14 @ 5/6 (SportingBet) (Editor's Note: The All Blacks have not been tested so far this World Cup but should still prove too strong for France. Follow all the latest prices on SportingBet!)