IN-FORM France claim their three-match losing sequence against Argentina will have no bearing on the Test today between the two nations.

France team manager Jo Maso believes Argentina have earned the right to face a full-strength France as he and coach Bernard Laporte announced an unchanged side for Saturday’s Test in Marseille.

PAUL BURKE spoke last night about “his hardest decision” as he prepares to leave Harlequins and join Alan Gaffney’s Munster.

Stephen Jones is to join French club Montferrand on a two-year contract after Leicester lost out in the race to sign the Welsh fly-half.

Montferrand 38 Bath 22

FRANCE centre Yannick Jauzion has slammed “arrogant” England following Les Bleus’ 24-21 victory at the Stade de France on Saturday.

FRANCE coach Bernard Laporte has called on his side to realise their true potential against Wales at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday.

France centre Damien Traille admits he has something to prove when he takes his place in the centre for tomorrow’s RBS 6 Nations match with Italy at the Stade de France.

IT’S the match no-one wants, New Zealand versus France for third place in the World Cup in Sydney today.

NEW ZEALAND coach John Mitchell last night outlined his intentions to end the All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup campaign on a winning note by naming a full-strength side for the third place play-off.

Beaten semi-finalists New Zealand and France have taken vastly different approaches to Thursday’s World Cup third-place play-off.

France coach Bernard Laporte today named an unchanged team for the World Cup semi-final showdown with England – and then paid a glowing tribute to Clive Woodward’s team.

Tony Marsh today rubbished England boss Clive Woodward’s comment that France are red-hot favourites to beat the Six Nations champions in their World Cup semi-final showdown.

An unsettled Ireland trail France after 20 minutes of their World Cup quarter-final clash in Melbourne.

Keith Wood and his team have their chance to secure a place in history as they face France in their eagerly anticipated World Cup quarter-final in Melbourne.

Ireland go into their toughest match of a tough World Cup with coach Eddie O’Sullivan convinced they are not feeling the strain of having already played two difficult matches in the last two weeks.

Yannick Jauzion believes France’s hopes of reaching a fourth World Cup semi-final rest on how successful they are in locking down Brian O’Driscoll in Sunday’s showdown.

Tony Marsh is virtually unique among the French squad in being able to boast a 100% record from his meetings with Ireland. But he is not expecting Sunday’s all Six Nations showdown in Melbourne to be as comfortable as the day Les Bleus swept to the Grand Slam.

ASK Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll for an insight into France’s outside-centre Tony Marsh, and the initial response may leave you a trifle underwhelmed.

HE has beaten cancer and made light of All Black rejection, so why should French centre Tony Marsh have any fears as he prepares for Sunday’s World Cup showdown with Ireland at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome?

France will be at full strength for their mouth-watering World Cup quarter-final encounter with Ireland in Melbourne on Sunday.

FRENCH manager Jo Maso admitted last night that Sunday’s World Cup quarter final against Ireland is the game Les Bleus dare not lose.

Centre Tony Marsh looks like being France’s only injury concern for Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final clash with Ireland in Melbourne.

ENGLAND’S below-par performance against Samoa last night has provided prospective semi-final opponents France with some vital information – but it will not be assessed until they eventually reach the last four.

French winger Xavier Garbajosa will fly home from the World Cup after failing to recover from a knee ligament injury.

France remain largely ignored as they tip-toe towards their third World Cup Final – and that is just the way Tony Marsh likes it.

French centre Brian Liebenberg has delivered a World Cup warning to England – do not think you are unbeatable.

France coach Bernard Laporte named a virtually full-strength side for ‘Les Bleus’ World Cup Pool B clash with Japan at Townsville.

A hat-trick of tries against Fiji was not enough for exciting centre Yannick Jauzion to keep his place in the France side for Saturday’s game against Japan.

WALLABIES wonderboy Stephen Larkham is about to jump on Jonny Wilkinson’s status as the world’s best fly-half.

Injury and illness look to be France’s most dangerous early opponents as they embark on a World Cup campaign they hope will culminate in at least a third final appearance in five attempts.

Reunions and comebacks will be the order of the day as France and Fiji open their World Cup campaigns with a Pool B clash at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane tomorrow.

NEWLY-RECALLED centre Tony Marsh will play in all four of France’s group matches in the World Cup, manager, Jo Maso, said here yesterday.

Fijian second rower Ifereimi Rawaqa will make a dramatic return to Test rugby when he plays against France in their opening World Cup clash in Brisbane on Sunday, just a few weeks after being apparently ruled out of the tournament with a prolapsed disc.

Tony Marsh today completed a courageous comeback from cancer when he was named ahead of Damien Traille to play in France’s opening World Cup clash against Fiji.

SOUTH AFRICA have been psyching themselves up for their World Cup clash with England next month by slamming into tackle bags fitted with England jerseys.

SOUTH AFRICAN rugby’s two governing bodies have ordered an independent inquiry into allegations of racism in the national team, following the resignation of communications manager Mark Keohane yesterday.

Full back Clement Poitrenaud has been withdrawn from the France team to face Romania in a World Cup warm-up this afternoon.

France have been hit by a further injury blow in the run-up to this autumn’s World Cup after centre Tony Marsh was forced to pull out of their upcoming August friendlies against Romania and England with a calf injury.

FRANCE centre Tony Marsh has revealed his “pure happiness” at being recalled to the national team set-up just five months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.

SOUTH AFRICAN-born centre Brian Liebenberg expressed his astonishment last night at being called up to rugby’s French World Cup squad.

England began preparations for their opening tour game against the New Zealand Maori expecting a ferocious clash of Test match intensity.

FRANCE coach Bernard Laporte declared himself fairly satisfied with his team’s Six Nations performance, though admitting he must solve a flyhalf-goalkicker problem before this year’s World Cup.