The French revolution

He may not have been everybody’s choice to lead the France national team into a new era, particularly given the calibre of candidates running against him, but none could provide the continuity offered in the appointment of Lievremont.

New coach, new captain, new attitude. It seems the French are already preparing for World Cup 2011, but Marc Mievremont begs to differ. Simon Lewis reports

THEY SAY the mark of a man is how he deals with defeat rather than victory. Well, if that is the case, the examples of Ireland and France offer very different perspectives on the theme.