The French selectors showed there was no place for sentiment when they gathered in Paris yesterday to pick the Tricolores squad for the opening match of the Five Nations Championship against England in the new Stade de France on February 7th.
In the offices of Radio Monte Carlo just off the Champs Elysees, Jo Maso, Jean-Claude Skrela and Pierre Villepreux clearly decided to wipe the slate clean, and form a group which would take them through to the 1999 World Cup.
They not only named a new captain, Raphael Ibanez, who has six caps but who is yet to figure in a starting line-up for France, but also swept aside half of the squad from the disastrous 52-10 loss to South Africa last November.
Gone are Harlequins stars Laurent Cabannes and Thierry Lacroix as well as the powerful but lumbering Olivier Merle. Philippe SaintAndre, Abdelatif Benazzi and Emile Ntamack are all unavailable through injury, but despite the importance of France's opening game in the championship, the selectors have gone for young blood as they hope for a major improvement in terms of combative team spirit and aggressiveness on defence.
"We saw how the English performed in their draw against New Zealand," said their team manager Maso. "That's why we have formed a team based on strong defence, on speed and sheer enthusiasm.
"We have all been deeply hurt by the humiliating result against South Africa, but this is a chance for us to bounce back. Playing England for the first official game in our new stadium is a great event. It should also be an uplifting experience for this young side."
The squad counts only two new uncapped players - the winger Christophe Dominci, sensational this season with the glitzy Paris club Stade Francais, and the utility forward Thierry Cleda of Pau.
The veteran Jean-Luc Sadourny, who has 60 caps, remains at fullback, Dominci joins Philippe Bernat-Salles to form a pair of pacy wingers, while Christophe Lamaison and Stephane Glas are the likely centre combination.
Thomas Castaignede, complete with his new bottle-blond hairstyle, will form the half-back pairing with Philippe Carbonneau, apparently back in favour after being punished for disciplinary reasons.
In the forwards, the major surprise is the arrival of Thomas Lievremont at number eight, and his brother Marc as a utility reserve. Olivier Brouzet, who ran a close second in the race for the captaincy, is the key selection in the second row along with Fabien Pelous while the props Christian Califano and Franck Toumaire remain unchanged.
As for Ibanez, the 24 year-old hooker from Dax, he is expected to lead from the front, thus making up for one of the major deficiencies of the French side in recent years.
An experienced captain with Dax, he also led the French Juniors to victory in the World Championship in 1992, and the French Universities in the Students World Cup in 1996. His half-a dozen caps have all been as a replacement, but Skrela feels comfortable that he will rise to the challenge.
"Sometimes you need to be a bit audacious," said the French coach. "Of course there are many obstacles for him to overcome. "
