Pelous: Cardiff clash ‘a blessing’ for French

FRANCE may grumble at the inconvenience of playing their World Cup quarter-final in Cardiff, but for Fabien Pelous it is a blessing to face New Zealand overseas.

Defeat to Argentina in the tournament curtain raiser has left France with the knockout match they dreaded most — the favourites at the Millennium Stadium tomorrow.

The team is paying the price for the French Rugby Federation’s willingness to award matches to other nations in order to win the hosting rights.

Plucked from their Parisian comfort zone, Les Bleus have made no effort to mask their irritation at having to play such a high-stakes game in the Welsh capital.

But Pelous has broken ranks by claiming the team will actually benefit from meeting the All Blacks outside the pressure cooker environment of the Stade de France.

“People expected a lot from us when we played against Argentina in Paris, but away from France they expect less. In fact, they expect the All Blacks to win,” he said.

“We are not under the pressure we face at home and also by playing in Cardiff we feel that we are not actually in the World Cup.

“We won’t have our fans at the Millennium Stadium and maybe there will be more New Zealanders there.”

Pelous claims the conditions are ripe for France to emulate one of the finest moments in Les Bleus history.

The Toulouse lock is one of four players starting the match — Raphael Ibanez, Anton Oliver and Byron Kelleher complete the quartet — who featured in the 1999 semi-final classic between the rivals.

“What happened in 1999 is an inspiration because it taught us New Zealand can be beaten in a game like this,” he said.

“Many things are different now — the team and stadium for example — but the situation is the same. Because of that, we know it’s possible to win.

Pelous, winning his 117th cap on Saturday, regains his place in the starting line-up after recovering from a knee injury.

Unless France emulate their predecessors from 1999, the 33-year-old is preparing for his final World Cup match braced for a ferocious tussle at the lineout.

“New Zealand’s lineout has changed,” he said.

“The players they use seem very simple but efficient. That’s the way they play in general — simple but efficient.