Brouzet blow for France

Veteran lock Olivier Brouzet has been ruled out of France’s World Cup opener with Fiji in Brisbane on Saturday.

Brouzet has been suffering with a shoulder injury and although he would have been risked if the problem had surfaced at a later stage of the competition, coach Bernard Laporte has decided not to take any chances.

“Olivier is fine but it would seem more prudent to give him another week to get stronger,” said Laporte, who added that Brouzet would be available for the second game against the United States on October 15.

It is the second blow Laporte has suffered to his selection plans, with prop Sylvain Marconnet also out after failing to recover from a thigh strain.

However, France are still hopeful that centre Xavier Garbajosa will play after recovering from leg bruising.

Meanwhile, Laporte spent last night as a guest of Brisbane Broncos rugby league club watching the telecast of the NRL Grand Final in Sydney.

Laporte admitted he was spellbound by the talent on show, including Great Britain star Adrian Morley, in Penrith’s 18-6 triumph over the Sydney Roosters.

France already have a defensive coach with a rugby league background in former Wakefield star David Ellis, however, Laporte does not believe there is too much more to learn from the 13-a-side code which has not already been adapted.

“The games are not really that comparable,” he said.