France recall Ibañez and Magne to inspire revival
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Your support makes all the difference.The France coach, Bernard Laporte, has selected Raphael Ibañez and Olivier Magne to face Ireland on Saturday, as Les Bleus look to recover from their shock 20-16 defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend.
Ibañez, the Wasps hooker who will be 34 in a week, has not played in the Six Nations since 2003, although he did play against Tonga last autumn. The London Irish flanker Magne, 32, has been struggling with a foot injury and last pulled on a France jersey for the Grand Slam of 2004.
Jo Maso, France's manager, said: "Raphael and Olivier can add dynamism to the team and pace. They can show that age does not matter." Laporte has also recalled the prop Olivier Milloud, centre David Marty and wing Aurelien Rougerie.
England's lock Steve Borthwick has compiled a comprehensive file on Italy's second rows, Marco Bortolami and Santiago Dellape, ahead of Saturday's meeting in Rome. "All I do is make sure I operate to the very best of my ability to help the team get their result," Borthwick said yesterday. "If it is the line-out, then I have to make sure I do the preparation necessary for a good performance. That, I feel, is just doing the job properly.
"They seem to be playing really well, very enthusiastic and really focused on doing well. Everyone is aware of what is ahead, so we have been preparing accordingly."
The Wales captain, Gareth Thomas, has apologised for this week's stand-off between his players and the media. No Welsh player appeared for interview until the BBC journalist Graham Thomas had left a press conference at the team's Vale of Glamorgan base on Wednesday. The players were offended by an article written by Thomas which appeared in the Twickenham matchday programme last week.
Thomas, who ghosted Gavin Henson's book My Grand Slam Year, which was critical of members of the Wales squad, defended the centre's words.
Gareth Thomas said: "I just want to apologise for Wednesday on behalf of the team. It was a private disagreement that became public and I never really intended it to become public the way it did. In hindsight the stance we took was a mistake on our part. It was a breakdown in communication between parties."
Henson is on the brink of completing his long ban for elbowing the Leicester prop Alex Moreno, "We don't have an issue with Gavin - categorically not at all," added Thomas. "When Gavin is available or if he plays well enough to get back into the squad he will be welcomed back. It was an issue that we thought had been put to bed. And we weren't best pleased that it had been brought up again."
Ireland's Marcus Horan has been struck down with a stomach bug so the Leinster prop Reggie Corrigan has been called into the team to face France.
Jonny Wilkinson will be on the Newcastle bench for Sunday's Guinness Premiership match at London Irish.
Six Nations line-ups
France team to play Ireland in Paris tomorrow:
FRANCE: C Dominici (Stade Français); A Rougerie (Clermont), D Marty (Perpignan), F Fritz, C Heymans; F Michalak, J B Elissalde (all Toulouse); O Milloud (Bourgoin), R Ibañez (Wasps), P de Villiers (Stade Français), F Pelous (Toulouse, capt), J Thion (Biarritz), Y Nyanga (Toulouse), O Magne (London Irish), J Bonnaire (Bourgoin). Replacements: S Bruno (Sale), S Marconnet (Stade Français), L Nallet (Castres), R Martin (Stade Français), D Yachvili (Biarritz), B Boyet (Bourgoin), L Valbon (Brive).
Italy and England teams to play in Rome tomorrow:
ITALY: C Stoica (Montpellier); P Canavosio (Calvisano), G Canale (Clermont), Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Français), L Nitoglia; (Calvisano), R Pez (Perpignan), P Griffen; S Perugini (both Calvisano), F Ongaro (Treviso), C Nieto (Viadana), S Dellape (Agen), M Bortolami (Narbonne, capt), J Sole (Viadana), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Français), S Parisse (Treviso). Replacements: C Festuccia (Gran Parma), A Lo Cicero (L'Aquilla), M Castrogiovanni (Calvisano), C Del Fava, (Parma) S Orlando, S Picone (both Treviso), R Wakarua (Leonessa).
ENGLAND: T Voyce (Wasps); M Cueto (Sale), J Noon (Newcastle), M Tindall (Gloucester), B Cohen (Northampton); C Hodgson (Sale), H Ellis (Leicester); A Sheridan (Sale), S Thompson (Northampton), M Stevens, S Borthwick, D Grewcock (all Bath), J Worsley (Wasps), L Moody (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester, capt). Replacements: L Mears (Bath), J White (Leicester), S Shaw, L Dallaglio, M Dawson (all Wasps), A Goode (Leicester), J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester).
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