Preview: France vs. Australia - Rugby

After a hiatus of almost three years, the national teams of Australia and France are once again gearing up to face each other in Test match rugby.

Strangely, there has been a ceasefire between France and Australia on rugby's battle fields.
The International Rugby Board's fixture schedule has curiously omitted this fixture since November 2005, when France had the laugh over Australia, courtesy of a 26-16 win in Marseille, a venue that has been a stronghold for France, especially against the Wallabies.

As has become the norm for these mid-year Tests, the touring team has sent an understrength squad out to Australia.

Of course the usual excuses prevail - France are forced to field a young, inexperienced team mostly because their top players are still involved in the French Top 14, which concludes this weekend.

It is a sad but real fact that these factors, brought on by the overload of rugby on all fronts, dilute what should be a cracking Test match.

But with players such as Clermont's Julien Bonnaire, Elvis Vermeulen and Aur鬩en Rougerie, and Toulouse's Yannick Jauzion, C餲ic Heymans, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, and Thierry Dusautoir all playing in the Top 14 Final, France will have to take on the Aussies with the best of the rest.

And that includes two debutantes in the starting XV - wing Alexis Palisson and Biarritz prop Benoit Lecouls.

Australia on the other hand will be looking to build on their first Test experience of the season - a 18-12 victory over a determined Ireland team.

Coach Robbie Deans has spoken about the need for Australia to improve, especially in defence, after Irish fullback Robert Kearney sliced the Wallaby backline apart repeatedly.

For Deans, the Test against France will be only his second match in charge of Australia. Expect an immediate response from his charges - a coach of Deans' calibre simply won't stand for anything less.

Defensive woes aside, Australia did look good on attack in the first half against Ireland. It is a reasonably well-known fact that the Aussies do not have the world's most intimidating tight five.

For that reason, their scrum and line-outs will not be huge weapons in the foreseeable future, which means that they will not really dominate on their set-piece possession.

What it does mean though is that they are a team who will have to base their attacking game around the loose ball.

Their backline will have to be double as dangerous on the ball that they do get, and they certainly have the man at No.10 to spark that kind of quality.

Flyhalf Matt Giteau is one of the most effective backs in the game today, not only for his running skill and swerving step, but also for his vision and the way that he disrupts defences with his running angles.

All in all, Giteau is a creative spark that opens up options for Australia on attack, and also brings others into play.

There is a solid base of experience, mixed with young talent in the Aussie backline. The likes of Stirling Mortlock and Lote Tuqiri should blend well with relative newcomers like Cameron Shepherd and Peter Hynes.

Both Hynes and Shepherd proved their worth in the Super 14, and now have another chance to build their international experience.

Another plus for the Aussies is their loose forwards. In George Smith and Phil Waugh, they have two of the best flanks in the world in terms of contesting the ball at the breakdown.

What a pleasure it must be for Deans to send on Waugh on after Smith has chased himself to a standstill.

The Wallabies can also call on the mobility of Rocky Elsom at No.6, and the pure bulldozing power of Wycliff Palu at No.8.

Palu has had a fantastic Super 14 tournament, and was the steel behind the Waratahs' run to the Final.

Players to watch:

For Australia: Young Luke Burgess has certainly turned heads at the Waratahs this year. He is the clear favourite for the No.9 jersey, and is set to form a formidable partnership with Matt Giteau, who will once again be a real threat. Also look out for George Smith's industry in the loose, and captain Stirling Mortlock's direct style in midfield.

For France: Much will depend on the performance and example set by their experienced players, such as skipper Lionel Nallet, scrumhalf Dimitri Yachvili and centre Damien Traille. Also look out for the rampaging physical style of French World Cup favourite S颡stien Chabal, nicknamed 'The Caveman'.

Head to head: France coach Mark Li趲emont is not scared of the unconventional, and it remains to be seen if his 'experiment' of playing Benjamin Boyet at flyhalf will work. Boyet comes up against the dynamic Matt Giteau, who will certainly be testing the French backline in every way. There will also be a battle royale on the wing, with French rookie Alexis Palisson squaring up against the imposing Lote Tuqiri. Australia will be hoping to take advantage of the understrenth French pack. Expect a battle of the front rows, as the Wallabies will hope to find a team they can shove around.

Recent results: 2005: France won 26-16, Marseille 2005: Australia won 37-31, Brisbane 2004: France won 27-14, Paris 2002: Australia won 31-25, Sydney 2002: Australia won 29-17, Melbourne 2001: France won 14-13, Marseille 2000: Australia won 18-13, Paris 1999: Australia won 35-12, Cardiff (WC Final) 1998: Australia won 32-21, Paris 1997: Australia won 26-19, Brisbane

Prediction: France will be unpredictable as always, and will probably play the match in an adventurous spirit. But Australia will be too organised and too slick for this hastily assembled touring group. Aussies to win by 13 points.

The teams:

Australia: 15 Cameron Shepherd, 14 Peter Hynes, 13 Stirling Mortlock (captain), 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 James Horwill, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson. Replacements: 16 Adam Freier, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 Phil Waugh, 20 Sam Cordingley, 21 Ryan Cross, 22 Adam Ashley-Cooper.

France: 15 P鰩to Elhorga, 14 Alexis Palisson, 13 Damien Traille, 12 Fran篩s Trinh-Duc, 11 Benjamin Thi鲹 , 10 Benjamin Boyet, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Imanol Harinordoquy, 7 Louis Picamoles, 6 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 5 S颡stien Chabal, 4 Lionel Nallet (captain), 3 BenoLecouls, 2 S颡stien Bruno, 1 Lionel Faure. Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Renaud Boyoud, 18 David Couzinet, 19 Mathieu Li趲emont, 20 S颡stien Tillous-Borde, 21 Thibault Lacroix, 22 David Janin.

Date: Saturday, June 28 Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney Kick-off: 20.05 (10.05 GMT) Conditions: Fine. High 15?C, Low 12?C. Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa) Touch judges: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa), Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand) TMO: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)