Facing world champions is enough to worry anyone but France coach Marc Lievremont has admitted? he’s more worried by his own fans.

The French are to take on South Africa in the heartland of French rugby, Toulouse, next week. And Lievremont on Friday issued a rallying call for the home fans ‘to give their undivided support to the French team’.? “I hope that the players will do what they need to win over the public and I hope that the Toulouse fans will be really behind the French team,” Lievremont insisted.

“They’re a demanding audience, who are used to winning, but that’s the case throughout the southwest, in Biarritz, in Dax.”

The last match France played in Toulouse against one of the world’s elite sides was on November 11, 1995 when they beat New Zealand 22-15.

The match had initally been slated for Stade de France but was moved to Toulouse after the French football federation reserved the Paris stadium in the case of a play-off for the 2010 World Cup.

A commanding forward pack and a late penalty by Stephen Brett sealed a 28-20 victory for Canterbury over Wellington in New Zealand’s provincial rugby championship final.

Canterbury, the defending champions, had built up a strong 18-3 lead by half-time which slow-starting Wellington had reduced to 25-20 with two minutes remaining before Brett put the result beyond doubt.

The win was all the more special because it was achieved without the side’s big names. Canterbury started without senior members Richie McCaw
and Dan Carter and six other members of the All Blacks on tour in the northern hemisphere.

But Canterbury showed they still had too much depth of talent for arch-rivals Wellington.

Sorce:http://www.7days.ae

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