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Wallabies facing French resistance
AAP - June 27, 2008, 7:29 pm
The fear of the unknown - more so than the spectre of mass sackings if they don't perform - has the Wallabies primed to silence their critics in Saturday night's Test showdown with France at ANZ Stadium.
New coach Robbie Deans has demanded the Wallabies lift their game or face the consequences after an unconvincing 18-12 escape against Ireland in the first winter Test two weeks ago in Melbourne.
But it is the ever-unpredictable French, not Deans, who have the Wallabies on guard.
The visitors will field an unheralded line-up featuring just one player from last year's Rugby World Cup semi-final loss to England - plus monster lock Sebastien Chabal - and Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock admitted such uncertainty made the French awkward opponents.
"It's been quite difficult to prepare for this match - a number of these players playing tomorrow night haven't performed in the Six Nations, so there's a bit of an unknown quantity to them," Mortlock said.
"That suits their mentality. They're coming down here over the next two weeks to really play some positive football and take us out of our comfort zone and stick it to us.
Wallabies facing French resistance - Yahoo!7 Sport
Frenchman tells Wallabies to be wary
AAP - June 27, 2008, 4:48 pm
They may not be household names in Australia, but French halfback Dimitri Yachvili says the Wallabies will sure know France's rookie backs after Saturday night's first Test in Sydney.
Set for his 36th Test, Yachvili - along with veteran centre Damien Traille, who has 63 caps to his credit - are the only two French backs with international reputations heading into the ANZ Stadium showdown.
The Wallabies, on the other hand, have Test stalwarts like skipper Stirling Mortlock, Matt Giteau, and Lote Tuqiri, who boast 171 caps between them plus two Rugby World Cup campaigns each.
The trio of Mortlock, Giteau and Tuqiri alone represents six times the Test experience of little-known visiting backs Pepito Elhorga, Alexis Palisson, Francois Trinh-Duc, Benjamin Thiery and Benjamin Boyet.
Frenchman tells Wallabies to be wary Australian Sport - Yahoo!7 Sport
French Resistance? Isn't that an oxymoron? Especially if we look at 1914 and 1939.