KEY POINTS:
PARIS - World Cup fever is mounting in France with just three weeks to go before the hosts meet Argentina in the opening match of rugby union's premier global 15-a-side tournament.
Media coverage has increased, billboards and adverts predominantly featuring the France and New Zealand squads have started to pop up everywhere and the public is being treated to a raft of warm-up games as national coaches put the finishing touches to weeks of intense preparation camps.
There was no love lost as a first-choice Ireland took a real battering from French first division club Bayonne on Friday (NZ time).
The Irish, showing 12 changes, rebounded from their shock 31-21 loss to Scotland the week before, to beat Bayonne 42-6 but in the process lost Brian O'Driscoll for their World Cup opener against Namibia on September 9 after the inspirational captain suffered a broken sinus and cut face following a punch.
There were five yellow cards in total in a game L'Equipe newspaper described as "lamentable" and "everything but friendly". It also refused to award the game any points out of six in its customary ratings.
The president of the French Rugby Federation, Bernard Lapasset, vowed to study the referee's report on the game before deciding what action if any to take.
In South Africa, the Springboks showed what they are capable of in emphatic style, demolishing fellow World Cup team Namibia 105-13.
It was the Springboks' first outing since the 30-man squad was named to challenge for regaining their 1995 World Cup honours, and they ran in 15 tries with fullback Percy Montgomery setting a new South African record of 35 points in a match.
South Africa are in Ireland to play provincial outfit Connacht on Wednesday, before facing Scotland in Edinburgh four days later.
The boks' Pool A rivals England stumbled to a 21-15 defeat at the hands of France after their 62-5 thrashing of a second- and third-choice Wales side.
The English, however, are still struggling to nail down a coherent midfield partnership although former Great Britain rugby league captain Andy Farrell and newcomer Danny Hipkiss seem set to be named as coach Brian Ashton's favoured pairing after they were selected to play against France in Marseille on Sunday.
In the French camp, doubts remain over the enduring fitness of veteran prop Sylvain Marconnet, who underwent surgery on a spiral fracture of his tibia sustained in March, but whose return to form has been hampered by an ankle inflammation suffered two weeks ago.
The French management will make a decision on the Stade Francais player on August 31.
Captain Raphael Ibanez said that preparations for the host team had been going smoothly.
"There are two objectives to this phase of intense physical training," Ibanez told the IRB website.
"First to make sure the players are sufficiently strong and fit to enter the tournament, and also the need to build a team, to shape group spirit. This takes time, even if the players have known each other for a very long time already, we need time amongst ourselves to create the team."
Ibanez said concerns that over-training might have taken its toll were disproved after France's 21-15 defeat of England last Sunday.
"After five to six weeks of heavy training there was a question whether we would be fresh enough for a game of rugby, but we came to Twickenham and won this practice game, which is great for the team," he said.
Wales face Argentina in Cardiff on Sunday with under-fire coach Gareth Jenkins desperate for his side, annihilated by England, to rebound against a strong Pumas team.
"The game (against England) arguably showed that we did not have the strength in depth of others but our journey to France starts in earnest against Argentina," admitted Jenkins, who enjoys an uneviable record of just three wins from 14 games in charge and only one of those, over England, coming against a major rugby union nation.
"We have a great opportunity this World Cup because our key group match against Australia is being held in Cardiff.
"But playing at the Millennium Stadium will only be an advantage if the whole nation is behind us. We are a small country and we have to be united.
"I know there is a lot of pressure on me after Twickenham but, while it was bitterly disappointing to concede 62 points, it was not a setback to our World Cup plans because we did not field our strongest side and approached the afternoon in a different direction from England."
The Welsh Rugby Union has so far sold barely 30,000 tickets for the game in a ground which holds some 74,000 as thousands of home fans vote with their wallets after the record defeat to England two weeks ago.
- AFP
