France return to happy Argentina hunting ground

France return to a very happy hunting ground in Argentina Sunday with coach Guy Noves saying he wants to measure the depth of talent in his depleted squad.

The visitors have played at the Estadio Monumental Jose Fierro in northern city Tucuman once and trooped off the field in 2012 with a record 49-10 victory in 48 Tests against the South Americans.

To better that feat would be remarkable as the two-Test series clashes with the semi-finals and final of the French Top 14, robbing Noves of many stars. 

Only three of the team beaten 31-21 at home by England three months ago in their last Six Nations Championship match will start against the Pumas, who beat visiting Italy 30-24 last weekend.

The survivors are the props, loosehead Jefferson Poirot and tighthead Rabah Slimani, and loose forward Loann Goujon.

Centre Gael Fickou and fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc, who also started against the English, are among the replacements.
But while the team may be young and raw, Noves is far from despondent ahead of his first tour since replacing Philippe Saint-Andre after a 2015 World Cup quarter-finals drubbing by New Zealand.

"One of the positive elements of this tour is that we can measure the depth of the French reservoir," he told a press conference.

"There are those players who have been in reserve, but who could quickly integrate.

"The group will be together for the next three years (until the 2019 World Cup in Japan).

"They start from scratch. We will soon see if they have the physical and technical capacity to hold their place," said the coach who won four European and 10 French titles with Toulouse.

"It is a big opportunity for them. They have the chance to stake a claim. I am optimistic.

"Now we will face an opponent whose qualities are known -- we will be able to measure our level against the Argentines.

"We are here to defend French values in a friendly country, but which is temporarily our enemy on the field."  

Although France have won 34 of 48 internationals between the countries since they first met in Buenos Aires 67 years ago, Argentina have been successful in five of the last 10.
The Pumas were indebted to leading 2015 World Cup scorer Nicolas Sanchez for the victory over Italy in Santa Fe with the fly-half contributing 20 points from six penalties and a conversion.

There are two changes to the side that began that Test with lock Javier Ortega Desio coming in for injured Matias Alemanno and 'bad boy' Ramiro Herrera replacing prop Santiago Garcia Botta.

Herrera missed the Azzurri Test after being suspended for charging recklessly into a ruck with his shoulder and injuring a Super Rugby opponent.

It will be a special day for centre Juan Martin Hernandez -- an all-time Argentine rugby great -- who makes his 60th Test appearance.

The teams meet again in Tucuman next Saturday to complete their mid-year Test schedules. 

Source: AFP