Lievremont stands by selection :- France coach rules out possibility of wholesale changes
Posted by sportsmad28 on 02/16/2009
Marc Lievremont is refusing to make a knee-jerk reaction to France’s second disappointing performance of the 2009 RBS Six Nations.
Les Bleus went down 30-21 to Ireland on the opening weekend of the championship and followed that up with an error-strewn 22-13 victory over Scotland on Saturday.
As his France team prepares to take on reigning champions Wales in Paris on February 27, Lievremont is ruling out wholesale changes.
“There will be continuity,” he said, when asked about his squad selection for the Wales game.
“I don’t see how, in this context, we could change a dozen players with just four days of training.
“We also have confidence in them. But I would have really liked to have kept the players this week.
“We are a bit bewildered, but we are going to continue to work in quite tricky conditions before hosting Wales on the Friday evening.”
The French squad have returned to their clubs for this week and will reunite at Marcoussis on Sunday, with Perpignan prop Nicolas Mas a major doubt with a thigh problem and props Lionel Faure and Benoit Lecouls also nursing injuries.
That could spell a return for Stade Francais’ Sylvain Marconnet when Lievremont names his 23-man squad on Wednesday.
