New Zealand V France: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Rugby World Cup 2015 QF
France will attempt to end a spell of eight successive defeats at New Zealand's hands this Saturday as one of modern rugby's great rivalries is revived in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup 2015.
Rugby headlines have been hit with the news that these two teams will indeed meet at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, the same setting that earned Les Bleus a dramatic win over the All Blacks at the 2007 World Cup.
But while the venue remains the same, the two teams have changed drastically since then, and Philippe Saint-Andre's side head back to the Welsh capital installed as firm underdogs for the encounter.
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Richie McCaw and Dan Carter both feature in Steve Hansen's XV as the only surviving players who started in that forgettable loss to the French eight years ago, with the rest of the lineup bristling with emerging talent.
Of course these two teams also clashed in the final of the Rugby World Cup 2011, where France lost 8-7 in an infamously tight encounter. Captain Thierry Dusautoir, Pascal Pape and Morgan Parra were all starters in Auckland that day and will have their chance at revenge as part of Saint-Andre's XV this Saturday.
Read on for all the vital viewing information heading into what promises to be a tense and tenacious clash of rugby titans, with form guide, betting odds and a match preview also detailed head.
Date: Saturday, October 17
Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET/(Sunday, Oct. 18)5 a.m. AEST/8 a.m. NZDT
Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Live Stream: ITV Player (UK), Universal Sports (U.S.), Fox Sports (AUS), Sky Go (NZ), SuperSport (SA)
TV Info: ITV (UK), Fox Sports 2 (AUS), Sky Sport 1 (NZ), SuperSport 1 (SA)
Team Lineups
New Zealand: 15. Ben Smith, 14. Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13. Conrad Smith, 12. Ma'a Nonu, 11. Julian Savea, 10. Daniel Carter, 9. Aaron Smith, 8. Kieran Read, 7. Richie McCaw (C), 6. Jerome Kaino, 5. Sam Whitelock, 4. Brodie Retallick, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Dane Coles, 1. Wyatt Crockett
France: 15. Scott Spedding, 14. Noa Nakaitaci, 13. Alexandre Dumoulin, 12. Wesley Fofana, 11. Brice Dulin, 10. Frederic Michalak, 9. Morgan Parra, 8. Louis Picamoles, 7. Bernard le Roux, 6. Thierry Dusautoir (C), 5. Yoann Maestri, 4. Pascal Pape, 3. Rabah Slimani, 2. Guilhem Guirado, 1. Eddy Ben Arous
| October 9, 2015 | New Zealand 47-9 Tonga |
| October 2, 2015 | Georgia 10-43 New Zealand |
| September 24, 2015 | Namibia 14-58 New Zealand |
| September 20, 2015 | Argentina 16-26 New Zealand |
| August 15, 2015 | New Zealand 41-13 Australia |
| October 11, 2015 | France 9-24 Ireland |
| October 1, 2015 | Canada 18-41 France |
| September 23, 2015 | France 38-11 Romania |
| September 19, 2015 | France 32-10 Italy |
| September 5, 2015 | France 19-16 Scotland |
Key Players to Watch
Richie McCaw
Captain McCaw makes his way back into the New Zealand team after Sam Cane played his role in the group-closing defeat of Tonga, and he is likely to be in a gung-ho mood after more than a fortnight's rest.
The veteran's blend of childlike passion and seasoned wisdom makes him a special threat, even at the grand age of 34.
All Blacks coach Hansen this week paid special praise to both captains, insisting that were it not for McCaw's presence, it's Dusautoir who would be regarded as the world's finest openside, per ESPN.co.uk's Tom Hamilton:
"Thierry Dusautoir is one of the great players of all time. If it wasn't for a certain Richie McCaw running around during that same period Dusautoir would be seen as the guy who had played the best rugby in that position over a long time.
He's calculated, cool under pressure, smart rugby brain and he's a good man, good character, plays the game in the right spirit. And he's a great ambassador for French rugby.
"
But while the legacy may cite McCaw as the superior talent, there's nothing to say an off day for the New Zealand man can't allow his French foe to claw back the supposed gap between the two this Saturday.
| New Zealand Win | 1-5 |
| Draw | 25-1 |
| France Win | 4-1 |
| Under 31.5 Points Scored | 5-2 |
Alexandre Dumoulin
Mathieu Basteraud's plummet in form over recent months means his drop from the squad won't be treated as a major shock to all, and Alexandre Dumoulin has a chance on his hands to enact drastic change.
It's a move perhaps Hansen won't have been planning for, and the considerably sleeker Racing 92 midfielder presents a far different prospect to combat at outside centre.
Planet Rugby's Ben Coles didn't play down the examination that awaits Dumoulin in Cardiff, lining up opposite the evergreen New Zealand centre partnership of Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith:
This is just the third time that Wesley Fofana and Dumoulin have started a Test together, but the pair do boast a 100 percent winning record under those terms, beating Australia and Fiji in last year's November series.
His introduction in time for Saturday is a transition that could help free up a French back line that at times showcased its fluidity against Ireland last Sunday, but was ultimately lacking.
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