International / Geoffrey Riddle / 11 June 2009 / Leave a comment

France tackle a weakened All Blacks while England will be wondering which Argentina will show up.

This Saturday sees a myriad of international rugby action, and although a lot of the fanfare on this side of the world concentrates on the Lions' confrontation with Western Province, arguably the tie of the weekend is France's potentially pulsating fixture against the All Blacks in Dunedin.

'Beware the French in their first match on summer tour,' should be a motto for the betting fraternity. If you look at their results against the Tri-Nations superpowers over the last few years, it is the first game of the summer in which they put up their best performance. It generally goes downhill from there. But is their best going to be good enough to keep within a handicap that will be around 16-points in their favour?

On the plus side, Graham Henry's Kiwis limp into this encounter without a host of their All Black stars. Skipper Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Ali Williams and Rodney So'oialo are all out due to injury. Even their second tier of internationals must sit out, the sick list claiming the likes of Conrad Smith, Brendon Leonard, Jerome Kaino and the latest victim, Rudi Wulf.

What lines up against Les Bleus therefore is a distinctly under-strength New Zealand side, which looks rudderless, with full-back Mils Muliaina leading from behind. Muliaina displayed his tactical naivety when guiding the Chiefs to a record defeat in the Super 14 Grand Final, refusing to change a kicking game which saw the Bulls sweep to a 61-17 victory. A repeat of that against the French, and the attacking back-three of Maxime Medard, Cederic Heymans and Vincent Clerc (pictured) will have a field day.

Henry is a wily coach though, and is unlikely to be drawn into that, and flanker Adam Thomson leads a back-row unit that is capable of generating a significant amount of turnovers. Thomson turned over more ball than any other New Zealand loose forward during the Super 14, and Thierry Dusatoir, Louis Picamoles and Fulgence Ouedraogo are going to have to be ravenous for possession.

Despite the necessary upheaval in selection, Henry can still call upon seven of the XV that thrashed England at Twickenham in November. Martin Johnson's side were around 18-point underdogs that day, which puts sharply into perspective the likely handicap line of around 16 points for this. Sure, France have arrived in New Zealand a week before a Test match for the first time, and this presents their best opportunity for years of adding to their three wins in the Land of the Long White Cloud. But the handicap has more than taken that into account, and for those who don't trade in-running, the Kiwis look the best bet on the main game line.

Australia's mismatch against Italy is mainly guess work, and I'd envisage a start of something like 30-33 points for the Azzurri. All those who remember Nick Mallett's decision to choose Mauro Bergamasco at No.9 in this season's Six Nations had better tune in on Saturday morning, because Mallett has made a similar gaffe in selecting former Leaguie Craig Gower at fly-half. Gower, who plies his trade at Bayonne, has just five union games under his belt, and he comes up against arguably the best No.10 in the world at the moment, Matt Giteau.

The Aussies were in scintillating form last week when hammering the Barbarians 55-7, although it must be said that the Wallabies kicked away far too much possession. That should not be a problem this week, as Italy's more pedestrian back-three are unlikely to pose too much of a threat to Robbie Dean's new-look side.

Last November, Italy were close to securing a famous draw against the Wallabies, but that experience was too uncomfortable for Deans, and he has been telling his charges to go for the jugular more.

"Being more ruthless as a side is something we need to focus on; putting teams away," Giteau explained earlier this week. "It's good to get to a lead, but then we've got to continue to build on that lead."

It could be a slow start for the Wallabies, as the Italians are likely to utilise the rejuvenated maul with gusto, but as the game goes on, the merciless Aussies should easily rack up the points against a team France beat 50-8 in the Stadio Flaminio in March.

As for England's return fixture with Argentina in Salta, it is difficult to know how this game will pan out. Argentinian coach Santiago Phelan has beefed up the side that lost 37-15 at Old Trafford last week, but since Phelan took over, the Puma has been a strange beast. The thrashing by South Africa last season aside, the one consistency in Argentina's play has been low-scoring matches, and the unders in the total points market way well be the answer in what looks tricky game.