Injury and Illness are Les Blues

Injury and illness look to be France’s most dangerous early opponents as they embark on a World Cup campaign they hope will culminate in at least a third final appearance in five attempts.

Coach Bernard Laporte has already been rewarded for keeping faith in Tony Marsh, the New Zealand-born centre recovering from cancer in time for the tournament, and will now be hoping his other wounded players can come good in time as well.

Marsh’s well-documented battle with testicular cancer was not his only problem as he injured a calf during his recovery training, and that sort of problem has dogged French preparations.

Lock Olivier Brouzet and prop Sylvain Marconnet were both removed from the running for the opening match against Fiji in Brisbane because of injury.

Marconnet arrived in Australia with a thigh injury suffered during speed training at the team’s training camp in Marcoussis, while Brouzet has a shoulder problem which Laporte has decided not to risk in the starting XV against Fiji.

Brouzet was named on the bench, and both are expected to be fully available to face the US on October 15.

Marconnet was left out entirely, as was versatile Toulouse back Xavier Garbajosa, who has a thigh injury.

The upshot is that Laporte was without 131 caps’ worth of experience in his calculations for the match against Fiji – a team not shy of mixing it physically.

He was lucky to have the services of exciting young winger Aurelien Rougerie, who suffered a potentially life-threatening throat injury during a club friendly for Montferrand. He was named on the right wing against Fiji.

Throw in Marsh’s diagnosis with cancer and Laporte may be wondering if the rugby gods did not favour his players this time around.

But he is remaining upbeat and determined to maintain the traditional Gallic flair which has so illuminated the World Cup in the past.

“You can put the structure in place, but what you shouldn’t do as a coach is to limit inspiration,” he said before the tournament.

And the recovery of both Marsh and Rougerie is at least an indicator that the worst is over. Marsh is certainly eager to repay his coach’s loyalty.

“(The coaches) have shown a lot of faith in me so it’s up to me now to repay them and show that I deserve to be there,” he said after being handed a starting berth against Fiji.

France should not be heavily taxed in pool play, where they are also drawn with Japan, Scotland and USA.

They have never lost to Fiji or Japan, while they have to go back to the Olympic final in 1924 to find a defeat to the USA and 1999 for a loss to Scotland.