Which French will turn up?

French approach

With so much talent on their books it will be interesting to see the approach adopted by the two big French clubs, Clermont Auvergne and Toulouse, when they take on Heineken Cup holders Leinster and Rabo Direct champions Ospreys over the weekend. On the international front last month, new French coach Philippe Saint-Andre orchestrated a return to the traditional French game of counter-attacking and offloading with spectacular results against Australia, Argentina and Samoa. They scored some stunning tries.

With some of the best threequarters the tournament has to offer on show in Vincent Clerc, a rejuvenated Florian Fritz, Yann David and Maxime Medard with Toulouse and Clermont’s Sitiveni Sivivatu, Wesley Fofana, Aurelien Rougerie and Napolioni Nalaga, there must be pressure on coaches Guy Noves and Vern Cotter to maximise that talent and divert from the sterile approach adopted by both sides in domestic and European competition last season.