Mr Lochore neutral on Aust.-France semi-final

Press, 12 June 1987, Page 21

Mr Lochore neutral on Aust.-France semi-final

By

ROBERT LOWE

NZPA staff correspondent Brisbane The All Black coach, Brian Lochore, has taken a strictly neutral line over the outcome of the Aus-tralia-France rugby World Cup semi-final at the Concord Oval in Sydney tomorrow. To questioning by Australian journalists on Wednesday about their country’s . prospects against the French, Mr Lochore said: “I’m not backing either of them. ' “I think it will be a very interesting match.” Confidence among Australian supporters is high after the manner in which the Wallabies took apart the Irish in the first half of their quarter-final in Sydney last Sunday. However, Mr Lochore said France was very good side which was a playing well. “They had a bit of a surprise against Fiji the other day, and that was reasonably understandable, I thought,” he said. “But France playing at their best will beat any team in the world.” Asked to comment on a reported comment by the Wallaby coach, Alan

Jones, that the French pack was getting old, Mr Lochore said: “I wish they were a bit older. “I have a great respect for the French forwards. “We were on the butt end of a good hiding by them (at Nantes last year.) “But the result will tell the story won’t it? He (Mr Jones) might be right.” Mr Lochore said he had no preference as to which team won. “If we got past our semi-final we would have to play very well to beat either of them.”