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Lievremont wants France to soak up pressure

Article Published: Friday 26 February 2010

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France coach Marc Lievremont summoned his players to soak up the famous Millennium Stadium atmosphere prior to his side's Six Nations clash with Wales on Friday.

France have had wins over Scotland and Ireland and now travel to the Welsh capital with their hopes of a first Grand Slam since 2004 very much alive and Lievremont says they cannot afford to be daunted by the home crowd.

"Playing in such a hostile environment should galvanise the team," he said here on Thursday on the eve of the encounter to be staged under floodlights and with the stadium's roof closed.

"It's under such pressure that great teams are born and prosper.

The problems will come from a Wales team that is coming off the back of two under-par performances and who will really want to raise their game.

"I'm more scared of Wales than I am of their stadium."

Wales, beaten by old foes England in their opening match, bounced back to beat Scotland 31-24 following a thrilling late comeback in their last outing.

Both Wales and France are feted for playing courageous, running rugby but Lievremont believes the key similarities between the sides concern their organisational approach.

"I feel that the parallels between Wales and France are pretty striking," he said.

"Wales are one of the most disciplined teams.

They play positive rugby, not only in the attacking phase but also in terms of discipline, which impresses me.

"The Welsh play a high-quality collective game. We will have to find a solution collectively. It will definitely be one of the keys to the match."

Lievremont has been forced to make three changes to the side that overwhelmed Ireland 33-10 in Paris.

Wing Vincent Clerc (ankle), flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo (calf) and lock Pascal Pape (ankle) have all been ruled out by injury, with Julien Bonnaire replacing Ouedraogo and Julien Pierre taking Pape's place.

Julien Malzieu comes in for Clerc after original replacement Benjamin Fall succumbed to an ankle injury.

Lievremont, though, says the setbacks could prove to be a blessing in disguise.

"Apart from the disappointment of seeing the players leave, these injuries might have enabled us to get out of the comfort and routine of the week," said Lievremont, who is yet to lead France to victory in three consecutive matches in the tournament.

"These setbacks should reinforce the team's determination. One of the things we've learnt from previous tournaments is that in trying to manage fatigue and restrict the intensity of training, we've lacked a spark in the third match."

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