For reasons of spectacle, France must win against England. And for personal very BIASEB reasons, the Boks must beat the Pumas. See, I'd like to see the two big hairdos - Burger and Chabal - do battle. Schalk's shocking white flashes against this black powerhouse - will be good to see. Whatever happens, the England - France match ought to be a cracker just in terms of watching both these surging teams putting all their passion and power and wit on the table. Can France be consistently brilliant under pressure? I hope so, but I fear no.
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France must raise game to beat England, says Laporte
JEROME PUGMIRE
FRANCE coach Bernard Laporte has told his players it's time to forget their thrilling Rugby World Cup victory over the All Blacks. Defeating defending champions England in the semi-final, he says, could be even more difficult.
Even though France rallied from a 13-0 deficit to knock out hot favourites New Zealand 20-18 on Saturday, Laporte says his players would be wrong to think that this Saturday's match against rejuvenated England will be easier.
"We saw against Australia that England are healthy again," said Laporte, referring to England's 12-10 upset quarter-final win over the Wallabies in Marseille last weekend. "We know their abilities, the quality of their players. It will be a very, very hard match against a pack that is very strong."
France captain Raphael Ibanez agrees with his coach. "We know what Saturday's win represents," said the veteran hooker. "However, it was only a quarter-final. Now we have a semi-final against the world champions coming up. A tougher challenge lies ahead."
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