Laporte reshuffles his pack as French aim to bounce back

FRANCE COACH Bernard Laporte has made several changes for the clash with Australia in Brisbane on Saturday with his side looking to bounce back from the dismal 27-13 defeat to South Africa last weekend.

Prop Olivier Milloud returns to the front row where he will be joined by hooker Dimitri Szarzewski and prop Denis Avril, who are both set to make their international debuts.

In the second row, Gregory Lamboley and experienced flanker Olivier Magne also return to the side.

Dimitri Yachvili, who sprained his right ankle in Port Elizabeth, will be replaced at scrum-half and as captain by Jean-Baptiste Elissalde while Benoit Baby will play alongside Yannick Jauzion at centre.

Full-back Julien Laharrague will play out of position on the wing.

Australia coach Eddie Jones plans to rest and rotate senior players such as Stephen Larkham and skipper George Gregan in the build-up to the 2007 World Cup in France.

Jones said the policy, similar to the one adopted by Cricket Australia for the one-day international team, was all about the welfare of the players with the next World Cup in mind.

“We’ll definitely have to drop players out of the squad to get them right for the World Cup.

“There are some young guys we may have to look at to give them an extended pre-season to get them physically right, while we will be looking at the welfare of the older guys.

Jones said players such as Larkham were covered by the rotation plan. “The only thing stopping Steve playing in the World Cup would be injury,” he said.

“As a 31-year-old he still has the keenness of a 21-year-old.

“He’s always one of the last off the training field. He probably does too much for a 31-year-old but he wants to play.

“They’re not going to play week in, week out for 11 months, because for those over 30 it is too difficult. Still, I have been very impressed with them this year, in particular their desire to be better players.”

Meanwhile, it looks like Justin Harrison’s international career is over after he was omitted from the 27-man Wallaby Test squad to play France in Brisbane on Saturday.

After signing in March a three-year deal with Ulster, the 31-year-old was stamped as surplus second-row stock

“We don’t discount picking Justin at some stage,” Jones said. “But we’ve decided to push ahead. We’ve said all along we’re looking to build a squad for the next World Cup in 2007 and Justin, at best, would only be available for another six or seven Tests.

FRANCE (v Australia): N Brusque (Biarritz); J Laharrague (Brive), B Baby (Toulouse), Y Jauzion (Toulouse), C Heymans (Toulouse), F Michalak (Toulouse); JB Elissalde (Toulouse, captain); O Milloud (Bourgoin), D Szarzewski (Beziers), D Avril (Biarritz), P Pape (Bourgoin), G Lamboley (Toulouse), R Martin (Stade Francais), J Bonnaire (Bourgoin), O Magne (Clermont).

Replacements: S Bruno (Sale), S Marconnet (Stade Francais), T Privat (Clermont), Y Nyanga (Beziers), D Yachvili (Biarritz), D Traille (Biarritz), V Candelon (Narbonne).