"And so it came to pass. A new coach, a new captain and a new beginning for the XV de France. If head coach Marc Lievremont's first squad is anything to go by, Six Nations fans can expect nothing but the unexpected from this French side"
And so it came to pass. A new coach, a new captain and a new beginning for the XV de France. If head coach Marc Lievremont's first squad is anything to go by, Six Nations fans can expect nothing but the unexpected from this French side when they kick off the defence of their title against Scotland in Murrayfield on February 3rd.
After eight years of conservativism from former coach Bernard Laporte, Lievremont's selection is, like his own appointment, a bit of a shock to the system but reflects a willingness by the guardians of French rugby to disregard short-terms aspirations in the hope of building a side good enough to land the World Cup in 2011.
Most of all perhaps, Lievremont, assisted by Emile Ntamack and Didier Retiere, has sent the strongest possible message that his time as French coach will be marked by revolution, not evolution, a throwback in itself to the days pre-Laporte when French rugby flair was born on the pitch, not on some training ground whiteboard.
However, not everybody in France has welcomed the appointment of Lievremont. Former French fullback and LNR (League National de Rugby) supremo Serge Blanco has declared his unhappiness at what he saw as a rush job in appointing the 39 year old to the top job. Others have questioned Lievremont's lack of experience at this level, given that while he guided Dax to the Pro D2 title last year, he has yet to coach a full season in the Top 14.
Be that as it may, Lievremont and Ntamack have long been seen as the golden ticket by many who follow the French scene, with Ntamack in particular viewed as the man to put the 'va-va voom' back in the French backline. Whether they can do that will be dependent on how quickly they can fuse this new French side together.
Looking at the squad, retirements have undoubtedly forced Lievremont's hand but it must be said that none were unexepected. The decisions by Fabien Pelous, Serge Betsen, Christophe Dominici and Raphael Ibanez to call time on their international careers will have added an extra burden on the coach and the senior players who have kept their places in the 22 man squad.
Nevertheless, the omissions of Jerome Thion, Clement Poitrenaud, Pierre Mignoni, Imanol Harinordoquy, Remy Martin and David Marty are all an indictment of the 'New Departure' while the valid decision in leaving Sebastian Chabal out of the squad will have Chabalistes everywhere crying into their espressos.
Beyond the retirements, France must cope without some key personal in the shape of the injured Yannick Jauzion and Pieter de Villiers. The self-imposed exile of Frederic Michalak in South Africa on the other hand will worry the new coach little. The former Toulousain was long considered to be a talented if somewhat unreliable outhalf under Laporte and it is likely that Lievermont will anchor his French side for 2011 around the injured Parisien Lionel Beauxis and the talented Montpellier player Francois Trinh-Duc.
Elsewhere, the new faces seem to crop up in nearly every position. In the front row, the uncapped pairing of Julien Brugnaut (Dax) and Lionel Faure (Sale Sharks) are selected. Young Clermont Auvergne tyro Loic Jacquet gets the nod in the second row along with Arnaud Mela of Albi, joining new captain Lionel Nallet. The back row sees the return of Elvis Vermuelen after missing out on the World Cup and Montpellier's hard hitting 21 year old, Fulgence Ouedraogo.
Behind the scrum, Lievremont has sprung a few more surprises, beginning with the inclusion of Bourgoin's 19 year old scrumhalf Morgan Parra. He's joined by one of the sensations of this year's Top 14, the aforementioned Trinh-Duc, as understudy to David Skrela. With Jauzion injured and Marty cast to the scrapheap, Lievremont has stuck with some of the tried and tested in the midfield, including the experienced Biarritz centre Damien Traille and recalling the powerful Toulousain Florian Fritz. Finally, Clermont Auvergne winger Julien Malzieu gets a well deserved call-up in place of Clement Poitrenaud.
There are however enough of the old guard left to suggest that Lievremont will avoid throwing too may new caps into the Murrayfield furnace on February 3rd. That the 39 year old French coach has put his faith in so many youngsters is testament to his determination to build for tomorrow but even he must know that if he gets the mix wrong, he risks stunting his young players' futures.
If nothing else, the squad represents a courageous first step in Lievremont's fledging coaching career but can such a bold selection be moulded together quickly enough to defend France's Six Nations crown? The coach was keen to suggest that he had "taken everything into consideration, the players in form and the teams we are to be playing against." However, the French rugby public have short memories and will expect to see things progress on the pitch pretty quickly.
Expect things to get rather saucy in Paris.
Ones to Watch
Julien Malzieu
The Clermont Auvergne winger has finally been given his chance to shine having never really recieved the recognition under Laporte. A powerful yet incisive runner, the 24 year old speedster can be especially devastating from broken-field play. However, he'll have a battle-royale on his hands just getting into the side - the current incumbant of the number eleven jersey is Vincent Clerc.
Francois Trinh-Duc
The 21 year old has been getting rave reviews so far this season yet has only managed 16 senior appearances as an outhalf - Montpellier converted him from a scrumhalf at the end of last season. Strong defensively with a wonderful half-break, which you might expect for a former scrumhalf, Trinh-Duc is very much in the mould of a Frederic Michalak. However, like Michalak, Trinh-Duc's kicking game remains suspect but is improving all the time. Expect Trinh-Duc to push Skrela all the way for the starting spot.
Loic Jacquet
Capped for France in 2006 against the All Blacks and a member of the French Under 21 World Cup winning team, 22 year old Jacquet has long been seen as the natural successor to Fabien Pelous. A powerful yet athletic lock forward, Jacquet has been an ever present in the Clermont side for the last two seasons, impressing consistently in the Top 14 and more recently, in the Heineken Cup. It's expected that he'll form a partnership with captain Lionel Nallet.