FRANCE coach Marc Lièvremont has sprung a major surprise by handing Morgan Parra a rare start at fly-half for this weekend’s pivotal World Cup Pool A clash against New Zealand.

HAVING quit rugby union for rugby league and then come back again, France centre Fabrice Estebanez has finally made up his mind what he wants to do: shine at the World Cup.

FRENCH scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili has warned the rest of the rugby giants his side can beat anyone to win the World Cup.

Sebastien Chabal has been omitted from France’s provisional 32-man squad for the World Cup in September.

HEINEKEN Cup champions Toulouse booked a semi-final date with 2009 winners Leinster in Dublin after a thrilling 27-20 extra-time victory over Biarritz at Estadio Anoeta yesterday.

A SLOPPY first-half defensive showing from Glasgow at Firhill allowed holders Toulouse to take control of Pool Six in the Heineken Cup.

WASPS head coach Tony Hanks was proud of his players after the London club came close to pulling off a shock victory at the reigning Heineken Cup champions.

Ireland internationals Alan Quinlan and Malcolm O’Kelly will face their countrymen as part of the Barbarians line-up for Friday’s non-cap international at Thomond Park in Limerick.

HE may have looked strangely subdued come the final whistle in Paris on Saturday, but Toulouse coach Guy Noves livened up somewhat when praising his team after they recorded a record fourth Heineken Cup triumph.

Toulouse coach Guy Noves has decided to go with David Skrela at out-half against Leinster in the Heineken Cup semi-final on Saturday.

BYRON KELLEHER has warned three-time Heineken Cup champions Toulouse to raise their level of performance despite a crushing 42-16 quarter-final win over rivals Stade Francais at Le Stadium yesterday.

NEW ZEALAND yesterday filed an official complaint over what they believe was an eye-gouge on prop Tony Woodcock following their crushing win over France in Marseilles on Saturday.

WORLD champions South Africa suffered a second successive loss on their northern hemisphere tour as France triumphed in Toulouse last night.

SOUTH AFRICAN prop Tendai Mtawarira’s participation in tonight’s Test against France in Toulouse is in doubt due to ongoing confusion surrounding his citizenship.

BYRON KELLEHER admits Toulouse are still smarting from their 2008 Heineken Cup defeat to Munster as they chase a fourth European title.

DANNY CIPRIANI has been left out of England’s squad for the summer Test series against Argentina – but there is a recall for 2003 World Cup-winning hooker Steve Thompson.

ENGLAND romped to their most emphatic victory over France since the glory days of 2003 as Martin Johnson’s under-fire side enjoyed a staggering return to form at Twickenham.

ENGLAND boss Martin Johnson yesterday warned his ill-disciplined players he is ready to wield the axe ahead of next week’s RBS 6 Nations clash with France.

FRANCE go into their opening RBS Six Nations match against Ireland on Saturday week with little experience at half-back after Jean-Baptiste Elissalde was surprisingly omitted from their trimmed-down 23-man squad.

FREDERIC Michalak’s omission from the 30-strong France training squad for the Six Nations is neither a surprise nor a shock as the French rugby establishment opt once again to shun his mercurial talents for more predictable playmakers.

BUTCH JAMES insists Bath will learn from their last-gasp Heineken Cup defeat away to Toulouse yesterday.

FAR from a classic, but the game was laced with some magnificent rugby and, in the end, few Toulouse supporters could argue that their side deserved to depart from the Millennium Stadium with a fourth Heineken Cup.

Maleili Kunavore and Thierry Dusautoir got the nod over Florian Fritz and Yannick Nyanga, repsectively, in the most contentious selection issues for Toulouse ahead of the Heineken Cup final against Munster on Saturday.

Tomas O'Leary has held off the considerable claims of Peter Stringer to start beside Ronan O'Gara at half-back in the Munster side to play Toulouse in the Heineken Cup final at The Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

Guy Noves has announced a 25-player squad from which the team to face Munster on Saturday at the Millennium Stadium will be selected on Friday.

France have gone with experience after making six changes to their squad for Saturday's RBS 6 Nations Championship title decider against Wales in Cardiff.

AHEAD of Ireland’s visit to France next Saturday French winger Julien Malzieu says he was “disappointed” with Ireland’s uninspiring win over Italy.

ROB ANDREW admitted England had “rewritten the rules” after reaching the World Cup final despite three years of upheaval and just 10 months of dedicated planning.

France have named an unchanged team for the World Cup semi-final against England in Paris on Saturday.

France have retained Lionel Beauxis at fly-half for Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand in Cardiff.

FRANCE winger Cedric Heymans is confident he will be fit to face Namibia in their Pool D clash tomorrow (8pm).

France coach Bernard Laporte has made wholesale changes for Les Bleus’ World Cup clash against Namibia in Toulouse on Sunday.

France will give more of their squad players a chance to impress ahead of the World Cup when they take on Wales in Cardiff on Sunday.

Serge Betsen will captain France in their World Cup warm-up match against Wales in Cardiff on Sunday.

France have rung the changes in their 22-man squad for the World Cup warm-up match against England in Marseille on Saturday.

Fabien Pelous will make his return to international rugby tomorrow after being named in France’s team for the World Cup warm-up match against England at Twickenham.

France have made three changes to the team that lost to England last weekend for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations Championship clash with Scotland in Paris.

ITALY flanker Mauro Bergamasco will miss Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Ireland after receiving a four-week ban for punching Wales captain Stephen Jones.

Sebastien Chabal and Dimitri Yachvili have been dropped from France’s squad for the RBS 6 Nations Championship clash with Scotland on Saturday.

France have chosen a new-look half-back partnership of Pierre Mignoni and David Skrela for their RBS 6 Nations Championship opener against Italy in Rome’s Stadio Flaminio on Saturday.

NEW Zealand head coach Graham Henry believes the 47-3 mauling of France shows his side are in perfect shape for next year’s World Cup.

Bernard Laporte has made one change to France‘s starting line-up for their final RBS Six Nations Championship clash with Wales on Saturday.

France have named Dimitri Yachvili and Sylvain Marconnet in their starting line-up for their crunch RBS Six Nations Championship clash with England at the Stade de France on Sunday.