France vs. Canada: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Rugby World Cup 2015 Game

France go in search of a third straight win in Pool D of the Rugby World Cup 2015 tonight against a Canada side still wondering what might have been following their glorious defeat to Italy.

Victory for Les Bleus would make them the first side in the competition to reach three wins from three and keep them firmly on course for what looks set to be a pool-clinching clash with Ireland in the final round of fixtures.

They have not looked dazzling in their preceding games, but, in equal measure, they have never been threatened, nor had to find top gear to dispose of Romania or Italy.

FRANCK FIFE/Getty Images

On the Maple Leafs’ side, this clash represents a chance for veteran second-row Jamie Cudmore to reacquaint himself with his Clermont Auvergne colleagues in the France lineup.

Cudmore, 37, plies his trade alongside No. 8 Damien Chouly and centre Wesley Fofana down in the Massif Central region, and he will be looking to heap more pain on his workmates if his team can get stuck into the French breakdown.

This is an area that had France coach Philippe Saint-Andre raging after their 38-11 win over Romania, per Bruno Poussard of the : "At the beginning of the game, Morgan Parra was more involved in the rucks than some forwards. It's unbearable. The pair of half backs did not really get any material to work with for 30 minutes."

Canada, despite scoring one of the tries of the tournament against the Azzurri, could not turn their pressure on the Italians into what would have been a famous victory.

Coach Kieran Crowley bemoaned the short recovery period for his players during which aching bodies and frustration have had to be quickly dealt with, per the RWC website:

"

That’s the biggest challenge when you have short turnarounds, the mental side of it. You put a lot into it physically, but you also put a lot into it mentally. When I was involved in test-match rugby it used to take me about a week to come back down before I was ready to go again.

"

Match details

Date: Thursday, 1 October

Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. EST

Venue: Stadium MK, England

TV Info: UK, ITV1; Australia, Fox SPORTS; NZ, SkySports; South Africa, SuperSports

Live Stream: ITV Player (UK only), Universal Sports (USA)

Last five matches

September 23	France 38-11 Romania
September 19	France 32-10 Italy
September 5	France 19-16 Scotland
August 22	France 25-22 England
August 15	England 19-14 France

September 26	Italy 23-18 Canada
September 19	Ireland 50-7 Canada
September 6	Fiji 47-18 Canada
September 2	Canada 16-15 Georgia
August 22	Canada 23-41 USA

Team lineups

France’s players have had a full week since their win over Romania, and Saint-Andre has picked a near full-strength lineup for this one. Louis Picamoles, the star performer for Les Bleus so far, gets a rest, with Chouly undertaking his role at No. 8.

There is a Toulon axis at No. 9 and No. 10 where Sebastien Tillous-Borde and Frederic Michalak will feature, with the classic rapier-and-broadsword combination outside them in Fofana and Mathieu Bastareaud.

Canada have made six changes to the side beaten by Italy, with Aaron Carpenter, Brett Beukeboom, Kyle Gilmour, Richard Thorpe, Phil Mack and Nick Blevins making their Rugby World Cup debuts.

France: Scott Spedding, Remy Grosso, Mathieu Bastareaud, Wesley Fofana, Brice Dulin, Frederic Michalak, Sebastien Tillous-Borde; Eddy Ben Arous, Guilhem Guirado, Rabah Slimani, Pascal Pape, Yoann Maestri, Thierry Dusautoir, Bernard Le Roux, Damien Chouly.


Canada: Matt Evans, Phil Mackenzie, Ciaran Hearn, Nick Blevins, DTH Van Der Merwe, Nathan Hirayama, Phil Mack; Hubert Buydens, Aaron Carpenter, Doug Wooldridge, Brett Beukeboom, Jamie Cudmore, Kyle Gilmour, Richard Thorpe, Tyler Ardron.

Players to watch

Mathieu Bastareaud

After France made something of a meal of beating Romania with a bonus point, their lineup for this one smacks of a coach looking for a more straightforward approach from his players. That’s one trait Bastareaud possesses in spades.

Not many players in the Canadian side will have encountered a centre with the ball-carrying power of the Toulon heavyweight, and he will likely be used frequently to smash holes in the Canucks’ rearguard.

It’s not a style of play for the purists, but Bastareaud can be mightily effective when on song.

DTH van der Merwe

Daniel Tailliferrer Hauman van der Merwe (hence the use of his initials) has had a fantastic tournament so far.

He poached an interception try against Ireland and then started and finished a thrilling coast-to-coast score at Elland Road, England, at the weekend.

The former Glasgow man was one of the stars of the Warrior’s Pro 12-winning season, and he has hit the World Cup in the same vein of form.

Ireland’s Keith Earls was certainly fulsome in his praise for the Scarlets-bound wing before their opening Pool D clash, per the Irish Mirror.

Canada will look to get their danger man into the game as often as possible to disrupt the French.

Prediction: France 45-13 Canada

Odds

France 1/41

Canada 60/1

Draw 110/1

Via Oddschecker.