WillGreenwood

was surprised to see France blow their Grand Slam chance by drawing with Ireland but I'm astonished by Philipe Saint-Andre's team selections for Sunday's clash with England. Out goes Morgan Parra, out goes Francois Trin-Duch and I fail to understand either decision. I'm a huge fan of Trin-Duch, he's tough, he has a touch of class and, with one magical offload, he set up France's opening points last week. By replacing him with Lionel Beauxis, Saint-Andre has put all his faith in kicking prowess. The Toulouse man, who had a shocker against England in the 2007 World Cup semi-final, will be expected to pin England's defence deep inside their own half but I'm not convinced it will work. Never before have I seen a France coach select his side in response to the threat posed by England. ...

Phillipe Saint-Andre will have been as frustrated as Declan Kidney when France's match against Ireland was cancelled. Les Bleus played with poise and panache against Italy in round one and he won't have wanted anything to stymie the flow of his elegant attack. You might expect Aurelien Rougerie and Wesley Fofana to run riot against this ragged Scotland team but Andy Robinson remains an astute coach and I think the changes he's made for this match should mean the hosts stay in touch. France might be restricted to under ten points in the first-half and the home side could be level or even ahead at the break. You'll be able to get good odds on Scotland/France in the half-time/full-time market and I advise a small stakes wager. I like Stuart Hogg, the teenage full-back who will make his...

I backed New Zealand to win the World Cup at the outset and you won't be surprised to hear that I'm sticking with them in the final. I liked Australia following their Tri-Nations victory and thought that if anyone could upset the All Blacks it would be the Wallabies. But my word, Robbie Deans' men were humbled at Eden Park last Sunday. Those boys took one hell of a beating. It was one of the great occasions and a great privilege to be there. New Zealand supporters have waited a long, hard 24 years since their team last won rugby's biggest prize. On Sunday night hope and expectation swarmed around Eden Park, turning it into a cathedral of passion and intensity and I was delighted that Graham Henry's men gave a worthy performance. Australia are one of the best sides at absorbing pressure...

Wales' World Cup performances get better and better so I'm not surprised that they are favourites to beat France to reach their first final. They were magnificent against Ireland and, with England out, I've bought a Welsh shirt and am getting right behind the Dragon. There is strength throughout their ranks; Adam Jones is a rock, Gethin Jenkins tackles like a back-rower and runs like a centre; in midfield, Jonathan Davies and Jamie Roberts have been excellent. Warren Gatland deserves a lot of credit for the cohesion he has instilled in his team and his success in making them believe that they can beat the best. Gatland faces a selection dilemma if Rhys Priestland fails to recover from his shoulder injury. The Scarlets fly-half has been excellent and those around him have thrived on...

[u]New Zealand v France - Saturday 09:30 (ITV1)[/u] Bettors who believe this is a second string French side are kidding themselves. Marc Lievremont is a coach of firm convictions. He axes those who do not play well and sticks with those who deliver: performance is his only criteria for selection. Francois Trinh-Duc has been punished for a couple of indifferent displays but if Lievremont was resting key men, he would not have selected Morgan Parra. The fly-half/scrum-half, who will play at ten against New Zealand, is essential to French progress at the World Cup and, on a wet night in Auckland, his kicking could be vital. The battle between Parra and Dan Carter is an intriguing prospect but France have stealth amongst the forwards too. Lionel Nallet, aka "the caveman," is a formidable...

[u]Argentina v Romania[/u] Argentina's reward for pushing England last weekend has been a spate of injuries. Felipe Contepomi is out of this one while Gonzalo Tiesi has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament. The Romanians hung in there against Scotland very close and will be ultra-competitive once again. Marius Tincu is an excellent leader and he will ensure that Romania do to Argentina what the Pumas did to England: keep the ball amongst the forwards and stop the flair players from expressing themselves. I anticipate a low-scoring game with Argentina edging it to set up a big showdown against Scotland for next Sunday. [u]South Africa v Fiji[/u] Fijian lock Wame Lewaravu is like Michael Jordan - an athlete of awesome spring and no shortage of finesse. Against Bakkies Botha...

I admit that I was surprised by Wales' victory over Scotland - you know I was because I lost my bet - but that's the beauty of sport. I was mightily impressed by their defensive intensity and I believe Sam Warburton may be the best number seven in the Championship so far. Which is saying something when you consider that he's filling the shoes of Martyn Williams. Italy were torn apart by a clinical England side and, as somebody with a lot of affection for the Italians, I hope they weren't traumatised by the experience. I don't think that's likely under Nick Mallet and back at the Stadio Flamino they will make things difficult for Warren Gatland's men. I expect Italy to pile in from the start and make things difficult as they did against Ireland. Wales should take control of the game...

Is England v France a Six Nations Championship decider? The truth is this: if France win then, with only a trip to Rome and the visit of Wales to come, they will probably have wrapped up the title. If England win, they're well on their way but they still have to go to Dublin on the final day for a match that could yet derail their Grand Slam dream. This is England's biggest match for 12 months. Last year, in Paris, they put in a pivotal display in going down 12-10, there was proactivity on and off the field and the ground was laid for the victories over Australia and the subsequent resurgence which sees the Red Rose 1.5 favourites for Saturday's match. There was little shame in the result against a very strong French 15, especially when you bear in mind the old saying that the French...

I played in an England team that never lost to Les Bleus outside France. However, I also never managed to win across the Channel and I admit that I'm still irked by that. On the three occasions I played in Paris we always managed to go down by close margins. Beating them at Twickenham was always sweet. In 2001, I crashed over early in a 48-19 victory with a try that was the result of a system that was near perfect. We had created so much space that I was practically able to walk in untouched. I actually saw the same piece of play being used by New Zealand in the Tri-Nations last year, which shows that the best rugby is timeless. The game has changed enormously over the last two decades and no team demonstrates that better than France. Fifteen years ago their midfield was populated...