- Title: FRANCE: FRENCH RUGBY TEAM PREPARE FOR SIX NATIONS MATCH AGAINST IRELAND
- Date: 3rd April 2002
- Summary: CLAIREFONTAINE, FRANCE (APRIL 3, 2002) (REUTERS TV - ACCESS ALL) 1. PEOPLE WATCHING SCRUM 2. VARIOUS OF SCRUM 3. SCRAM (VARIOUS) 4. PLAYERS PUSHING ONE-TON MACHINE (VARIOUS) 5. JOURNALISTS TALKING TO IVANEZ RAPHAEL 6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) HOOKER IVANEZ RAPHAEL SAYING: "We are all aware the encounter that awaits
- Embargoed: 18th April 2002 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: CLAIREFONTAINE, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVA1B9MXANSYRQL3K4P7QOA727HA
- Story Text: The French rugby team trained near Paris on Wednesday
(April 3) in preparation for their clash against Ireland on
Saturday (April (6) at the stade de France.
The home side need to beat Ireland for the first time in
three years to clinch the grand slam --and the Six Nations
title-- after wins over Italy 33-12, Wales 37-33, England
20-15 and Scotland 22-10.
Most of the French squad agreed that Ireland backline
will present the biggest threat to their grand slam
aspirations.
Hooker Raphael Ibanez told Reuters Television: "The
Irish team has qualities. Beyond its natural aggressiveness it
has great technical and tactical qualities, and players of top
level. In the last three years weve trailes behind them in
terms of victories, so all we can wait for is that this time
we will catch up with them for good."
French coach Bernard Laporte said doctors have cleared
team captain Fabien Galthie and three others for the match
against Ireland.
Scrum-half Galthie, who had a thigh muscle problem, left
the French training retreat on Tuesday (April 2) to undergo
medical checks together with flanker Serge Betsen, number
eight Imanol Harinordoquy and winger David Bory.
Galthie confirmed that he would play in the Stade de
France fixture.
Harinordoquy and Betsen only bruised legs playing club
rugby with Pau and Biarritz at the weekend, while Bory was
more doubtful because he had been nursing an Achilles tendon
injury for two weeks.
According to Laporte, the injuries have not disrupted his
preparations. Without going into details, he said France would
have to play at sustained pace and have as much possession as
possible to counter the Irish backline that the French regard
as the biggest threat to their grand slam aspirations.
France also defeated world champions Australia, South
Africa and Fiji last November and now have seven consecutive
wins under their belt.
But if Ireland win in Paris both they and England, who
face Italy in Rome in their final game, can still win the
championship.
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