Rugby: France make changes for All Blacks test 

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) France coach Marc Lievremont has made seven changes to the team that defeated world champions South Africa for Saturday's game against New Zealand.

Lievremont has brought in centres Yannick Jauzion and David Marty, Maxime Medard on the wing, as well as Fulgence Ouedraogo and Julien Bonnaire in the back row. Lock Sebastien Chabal and prop Sylvain Marconnet also come into the team.

Cedric Heymans, Yann David, Lionel Nallet and Nicolas Mas drop to the bench while Maxime Mermoz, Imanol Harinordoquy and Louis Picamoles have been ruled out because of injury.

A tense Lievremont declined to discuss his reasons for reshuffling a front five that dominated the Springboks' pack on November 13 in Toulouse.

"I'm not going to comment on our choices," he told a news conference. "It was not easy to select this team. I'll let you comment and discuss our choices according to your mood, your sensibility or the policy of your media."

Lievremont sought to play down the favourites tag being put on his team before Saturday's game (1945 GNT).

"I read France were favourite, maybe we are, but I can assure you that New Zealand are back to their best without even mentioning that they will be out for revenge," he added.

France, who beat New Zealand 27-22 in Dunedin in June, come into Saturday's game on the back of wins over South Africa and Samoa while New Zealand have beaten Wales, Italy and England since arriving in Europe on tour.

"Some people are questioning the All Blacks' recent results but they are number one again", Lievremont said.

"Some people are saying their scrummaging is under par but we fear them in all sectors of the game and their leaders, Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, are in top form."

Team: 15-Damien Traille, 14-Vincent Clerc, 13-David Marty, 12-Yannick Jauzion, 11-Maxime Medard, 10-Francois Trinh-Duc, 9-Julien Dupuy, 8-Julien Bonnaire, 7-Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6-Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 5-Romain Millo-Chluski, 4-Sebastien Chabal, 3-Sylvain Marconnet, 2-William Servat, 1-Fabien Barcella

Replacements: 16-Dimitri Szarzewski, 17-Nicolas Mas, 18-Lionel Nallet, 19-Julien Puricelli, 20-Morgan Parra, 21-Yann David, 22-Cedric Heymans.

Ex-Aussie coach 'sues ARU'

SYDNEY: Ex-Wallabies coach John Connolly is suing the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and its chief for $1m over an email which he claims damaged his career, a newspaper report said yesterday.

Connolly says ARU chief executive John O'Neill urged top officials to shun him after Australia's shock 2007 World Cup exit, and blames the email for his failure to land high-level work.

In the February 2008 message, O'Neill accused Connolly of spreading "evil and malicious propaganda", AAP news agency said, citing documents lodged at Brisbane's Supreme Court.

O'Neill was responding to what he called a "very inaccurate and hurtful" newspaper article which he suspected used Connolly as a source, the report said.

He told the officials to "reconsider" their contacts with Connolly, calling him "a person who adds no credit to the game", and asserting "his involvement in rugby is at an end from an ARU perspective", it said.

Connolly is seeking 350,000 Australian dollars ($323,000) for alleged damage to his reputation, and another A$750,000 in special damages for his inability to find top coaching jobs.

He claims the email cost him the opportunity to return to the Queensland Reds, which he coached from 1989 to 2000, or be employed by a new Melbourne-based Super 15 team.

Meanwhile, Wales have brought in Dwayne Peel to replace Gareth Cooper at scrum half for Saturday's match with Australia at the Millennium Stadium in the only change to the lineup from last weekend's win over Argentina.

Peel, a replacement in the 33-16 win over the Pumas, was handed a start after Wales coach Warren Gatland let Cooper face the touring Wallabies for his regional side Cardiff yesterday.

Scarlets scrum half Martin Roberts takes Peel's position on the bench in the only other change to last Saturday's squad.

"Dwayne comes into the side in a straight swap for Gareth, allowing two Welsh scrum halves a shot at the Wallabies in the space of a week and ensuring both players have the chance to benefit from the experience," Gatland said in a WRU statement.