World Cup - France unchanged for Wales semi-final.

France coach Marc Lievremont has stuck with the squad of 22 players that turned around their rugby World Cup campaign with their quarter-final defeat of England for their last four encounter against Wales at Eden Park on Saturday.


France beat the Six Nations champions 19-12 last Saturday after only qualifying for the knockout stage following unconvincing pool phase victories over Japan and Canada and reports of division within the team camp.
"Once again, the same team that played Tonga and England," Lievremont said. "I would not have hesitated to name a different team if I felt that would have been better.
"The danger is for the players to start thinking they are too good ... we are Latin, so there is always a risk. The Anglo-Saxons are far more pragmatic.
"I hope the prospect of playing in the final is enough."
Lievremont continued with the tactic of playing two scrum-halves with Morgan Parra again slotting in at fly-half and Dimitri Yachvili taking the number nine jersey, though the veteran will first rest a bruised thigh he sustained against England.
"Yachvili is going to be rested in training until at least Thursday ... but he will play," Lievremont said, before adding that his side must adhere to what they do best to have any chance of advancing to the final.

"We have to be capable of imposing our own style of rugby. Wales have been playing with great intelligence ... I have been impressed by their spirit and they have been playing world class rugby."
Veteran number eight Imanol Harinordoquy, who was outstanding last week against England, will again form a bruising loose forward combination with captain Thierry Dusautoir and Julien Bonnaire.
However, one area of concern could be that the side lacks a specialist open-side flanker to combat Wales captain Sam Warburton, who has been a revelation at the tournament.
Tight-head prop Nicolas Mas, who had missed three pool matches with a hamstring injury before playing against England, was retained in a front row that includes William Servat and Jean-Baptiste Poux.
Lievremont had given organisers a matchday 22 but said that because of injury concerns he would finalise his bench by Thursday.

France team to play Wales: 15-Maxime Medard, 14-Vincent Clerc, 13-Aurelien Rougerie, 12-Maxime Mermoz, 11-Alexis Palisson, 10-Morgan Parra, 9-Dimitri Yachvili, 8-Imanol Harinordoquy, 7-Julien Bonnaire, 6-Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 5-Lionel Nallet, 4-Pascal Pape, 3-Nicolas Mas, 2-William Servat, 1-Jean-Baptiste Poux
Replacements: 16-Dimitri Szarzewski, 17-Fabien Barcella, 18-Julien Pierre, 19-Louis Picamoles, 20-Francois Trinh-Duc, 21-David Marty, 22-Cedric Heymans

Jenkins: History beckons for Wales:

Neil Jenkins says that Wales' semi-final against France in the World Cup is the biggest match in the country's history.
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/11102011/58/world-cup-france-unchanged-wales-semi-final.html