Guillotine falls on five
France began preparing for Twickenham yesterday by taking another pasting, this time in the form of a withering attack from their own rugby president, Bernard Lapasset.
'French rugby is bruised, injured, offended, even humiliated,' he said in stinging response to their home defeat by Wales. 'But can we talk about a French team any more? 'No, there is not a team, neither in the minds of the players, nor in the way they take the field, nor in their ability to conduct themselves as real rugby men. The French XV has no right to be as mediocre as this.
'I am talking about passes. I saw only one in 80 minutes. As for the rest, there was neither conviction, nor energy, nor technique, nor character. It really hurts me to hear 80,000 people whistling the team. 'Can one still like the players? I am not sure. This team carries no enthusiasm, pleasure or joy. The time for excuses is over. It is not up to me to choose the players, nor to decide if they are all thrown out.' Five were cast aside yesterday as coach Bernard Laporte took a reshaped squad of 27 into a three-week camp for the England match at Twickenham on April 7.
Jean-Luc Sadourny, Christophe Lamaison, Philippe Carbonneau, Christophe Juillet and Christophe Moni have all been dropped. Laporte has recalled the Ntamack brothers, Emile and Francis, from injury, as well as promoting six from the unbeaten A team - Gloucester hooker Olivier Azam, full back Pepito Elhorga, prop Olivier Milloud, teenage centre Yannick Jauzion plus flankers Alexandre Audevert and Christian Milheres.
David Skrela, whose father resigned as coach after taking France to the World Cup final almost 18 months ago, is in line to take over at fly half if Gerald Merceron fails to recover in time from knee trouble.
