France v NZ: Crazy Frog Produces Greatest Hits Package

Sacrés bleus, etc.! So, you've got a first-choice fly-half from Stade Francais who you drop after you lose the first game. Then you slot in a mercurial Toulousain talent, who beats the other major rivals in the pool with a large dose of skill, kicks his lines and generally impresses to the point that people scratch their heads and say "whyever did you leave him out!" Then you give the third choice - who understudies the first failure at Stade Francais - a go against some minnowesque types to avoid any injuries to the redeemed 10.

And then you go and pick the failure's understudy for the biggest role of his life...

Bernard Laporte has named Lionel Beauxis at fly-half for this Sunday's quarter-final in Cardiff. Crazy, crazy man. Beauxis is the man for the future, a young guy who single-handedly dug club side Pau out of the relegation zone in the Top14 a couple of seasons back, but running the game against an All Black side gagging to right the wrong of their '99 humping? That's some pressure.

If that wasn't enough, he's shifted Damien Traille - not a man noted for 60 metre sprints - to full back and chucked Clement Poitrenaud on the bench. Traille will be firing kicks down Leon MacDonald's throat all day long, which is a mistake. The wings look best-pick, but unless Yannick Jauzion has belatedly found some form, it's going to be a nervous midfield.

More madness in the pack as Julien Bonnaire takes the eight shirt and Fabien Pelous comes back to oust Chabal from the second row. Bonnaire is a good player but no control tower at the back, and Pelous - even if his knee is 100% - is not the dominating force he was. Think Paul O'Connell, but without the pipe. What we do know is that Chabal gets up for NZ and crucially, they don't like him - I would have loved to have seen him running at Ali Williams again.

Thierry Dusautoir could be the French name that sticks in the mind after this match, but it's a tough assignment against Richie McCaw. Whistle-blower Wayne Barnes will be eagle-eyed at the ruck though, so it's maybe a few less goes at the ball than usual for the Kiwi captain.

France: Traille; Clerc, Marty, Jauzion, Heymans; Beauxis, Elissalde; Milloud, Ibanez (c), de Villiers; Pelous, Thion; Betsen, Dusautoir, Bonnaire

Bench: Szarzewski, Poux, Chabal, Harinordoquy, Michalak, Dominici, Poitrenaud