Why Lièvremont sticks with gamble on Parra

Mark Lièvremont, as anyone who has followed the erratic fortunes of the French team at Rugby World Cup 2011 will have figured out by now, is not one to hesitate when it comes to taking a gamble.

And that's not confined to his now-famous moustache which sprouted as a result of losing a bet with David Ellis, Les Bleus' defence coach.

Lièvremont has chopped and changed, not always successfully, as France lurched into the quarter-finals, losing twice during their Pool A campaign, making them only the second team in RWC history to make the knockout stages after two pool defeats.

But his biggest gamble, in the eyes of many observers, has been switching Morgan Parra from scrum half to fly half. Which is where the youngest and lightest player in the French squad will line up for the fourth time in succession in Saturday's semi-final against Wales at Eden Park.

The magnitude of the gamble can perhaps best be appreciated after a quick glance at the history books.

Parra is only the second player to start matches at scrum half and fly half in the same RWC, and would have been the first if Tonga had not made the same switch a few days earlier with Taniela Moa, who started in both positions in the Pacific Island nation's first two pool matches. Parra also has the distinction of being only the sixth player to start in both positions for France in a Test match.

Obvious choice

The France coach has no difficulty justifying the still controversial switch and with making it for the first time in a pool match against none other than RWC favourites New Zealand.

"From the moment I realised that François Trinh Duc wasn't at his best level and that he seemed to doubt himself, and that David Skrela was forced to withdraw due to injury, the choice of naming Morgan at 10 became obvious," said Lièvremont.

The coach was also not deterred by stories coming out of the All Blacks camp that some of their players - most notably Ma'a Nonu and Sonny Bill Williams - were relishing the prospect of coming up against the 80kg Parra.

"I heard all sorts of things at that time, " said Lièvremont. "What makes me laugh was that, if anything, it was from an attacking point of view that I could have had doubts. From the defence side of things, I never worried for Morgan. He is a great defender in the one-on-one contests, maybe better than François (Trinh Duc) whose qualities are rightly praised in that area. He is brave and never escapes from confrontations."

Lièvremont agrees that there are valid comparisons between Parra and Christophe Deylaud, the diminutive fly half who played for France in the early to mid 1990s.

Absorbs systems

"Yes, there is a little of that in him," said Lièvremont. "Like Christophe, all is happening up here," he added, tapping his temple with a forefinger. "He absorbs the game systems very quickly. He is always in demand for something, asks questions and wants to understand everything. It's a guy who, at 22, is already a coach at Fédérale 2 (French 4th division) level. And that is not a common thing.'

Gonzalo Quesada is also on Lièvremont's side when it comes to persisting with Parra at fly half. Quesada, the France kicking coach and former Argentina fly half, explained recently that Parra knows from experience what a scrum half expects, and as a result the task was made easier for Dimitri Yachvili, who has been France's No.9 in their last three matches.
Parra, for the record, is one of the most prolific points scorers at RWC 2011. He came off the bench to score a try in France's opening pool match, against Japan, and kicked for 23 points in the second, against Canada.

But both those appearances were at scrum half; thus far, he has not registered a point in his three matches at fly half, the pool defeats against New Zealand and Tonga - still the biggest upset at RWC 2011 - and the quarter-final victory over England.

All of which makes Lièvremont's gamble against Wales on Saturday even more ingriguing.