Mourie happy with French test team

Press, 18 November 1981, Page 56

Mourie happy with French test team

NZPA Paris The All Black captain, Graham Mourie, believes it is in his team’s favour that France has announced an unchanged team for the second test in Paris on Saturday. “I think it is good for us because it will limit them in the way that they can change their tactics,” he said yesterday. After the French forwards were outmanoeuvred by the All Blacks during France’s 13-9 first test loss, it was widely expected that the French selectors would pick a more mobile pack and more enterprising backs for Paris. Mourie said he had expected that the fast, lightweight flanker, Pierre Lacans, would be recalled and

a replacement brought in for the lock Daniel Revallier, whose performances failed to match his bulk last weekend. The All Black captain said he had also thought it likely that France would play a more elusive centre in place of the solid but unspectacular Roland Bertranne. The French coach, Jacques Fouroux, who built his five Nations championship winning side of last season round a largely 10-man game, said that with only a week between tests, there had not been time to make changes to the French team. And Mourie said that from the point of view of maintaining morale it did make some sense to retain the team rather than introduce new players. “They were very confident

last Saturday but now the players know exactly what they have to do in Paris. “They may be tactically limited but I am sure they will try more and be better motivated. We will be in for a far harder game,” he said. Mr Fouroux said that the selectors had decided to give the players a chance to correct the tactical errors they made in Toulouse. Revallier ended the match with a badly swollen face and will give way to, the Tarbes forward, Alain Maleig, if it is found he has a broken upper jaw. The first test was a dull battle of the packs and the sporting daily “Equipe” said yesterday that the French and the New Zealanders had plunged rugby into “a dark night of boredom.”