French delay naming team for Ireland clash

FRANCE coach Bernard Laporte names his team today to face Ireland in Friday’s crunch Rugby World Cup game, having postponed the announcement by 24 hours.

However, the delay isn’t entirely due to injuries to key players such as Fabien Pelous and Raphael Ibanez – Laporte and his backroom staff have been trying to preserve team spirit, which is on a high since beating Namibia on Sunday.

“All positions are being considered,” said Laporte. “We must try to be fair to everyone. It would have been unfair to tell a player on Sunday that he didn’t play well.”