France sack coach ahead of RWC quarter final against All Blacks

France, potential World Cup semi-final opponents for Wales, are reportedly in chaos for the second tournament running, with stories emerging about a player revolt against coach Philippe Saint-Andre.

Les Bleus stunned New Zealand 20-18 in Cardiff in 2007, with Saint-Andre admitting only a return to classic French free-running rugby will afford the chance of a repeat.

Ma’a Nonu won a battle with Sony Bill Williams for a midfield start in New Zealand’s quarter final against France as coach Steve Hansen called out his big guns for tomorrow’s crunch match.

Outgoing French coach Phillipe Saint-André has picked an attacking team, with battering ram Mathieu Bastareaud losing his place to the more creative Alexandre Dumoulin in the centres.

It says the players are coaching and managing themselves.

“We need more ball and to use it and play rugby”. Parra was favoured under Saint-Andre’s predecessor Marc Lievremont.

They left our shores with high hopes pinned upon them, had a tough first up game, followed by a series of games that were harder than they thought (against guys for whom taking the field against them will be a career highlight), and now they face the first real test.

France captain Thierry Dusautoir tackled himself and New Zealand to a standstill in that 2007 quarter-final, setting a World Cup record with 38 hits.

All Black Daniel Carter passes during a New Zealand All Blacks training session. “We know we’ll have to improve our up-front game and take more individual initiatives”.

Tillous-Borde is dropped from the match-day 23, with South African-born Rory Kockott preferred on the bench, another “match-winner”, according to Saint-Andre.

It will probably result in a few more kicks than we’ve seen from them in the tournament so far, so Aaron Smith had better be on the money from the base of the ruck.

“New Zealand never lose but sometimes you manage to beat them!”

French newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur published an article on Thursday citing a “source close to the players” who said there had been a players’ uprising against Saint-Andre.