Can Wales make history and book themselves a place in the final of the World Cup?

James Hook returns to fill the No.10 shirt for Wales replacing Rhys Preistland. Wales are looking to book themselves a place in their first World Cup Final

After a convincing 22-10 victory over Ireland in the Quarter-Final, Warren Gatland’s Welsh side face a mercurial French side in the first Semi-Final. France has not made the final since 1987 and Wales have never made the final in a World Cup. Both teams have the chance to make history and face either Australia or New Zealand next week. Wales are undoubtedly the in-form side in the tournament; they recovered from their narrow loss to South Africa in the 1^st round and were impressive against Ireland. France has struggled for consistency and lost to Tonga and New Zealand in the Pool stages. However, as any pundit will tell you, form does not matter on the day. There are several battles in key positions that will decide the outcome of this match:

Front Row:

Gethin Jenkins, Huw Bennett and Adam Jones vs. Jean-Baptiste Poux, William Servat and Nicola Mas

The scrum will be vital to any team wishing to make the final; Wales have scrummaged well in the tournament so far and were unlucky to miss out in their first match against South Africa having performed well in the set-piece. Jenkins and Jones are two highly experienced props who will need to be on the right side of the referee’s whistle to give them a chance against France. Poux and Mas dominated against England’s Matt Stephens and Dan Cole in the Quarter Finals. England struggled in the 1^st half against France because they gave away too many penalties. Throwing into the line-out will be another vital part of the match, Servat is one of the best at throwing into the line-out and he will look to pick out Lionel Nallet and Pascal Pape to help secure the French good set-piece possession. Huw Bennett has been finding his men in the line-out, which has been helping Wales’ World Cup campaign. Mike Phillips needs quick ball off the top of the line-out in order to release the commanding physical presence of Jamie Roberts and the speed men George North and Shane Williams.

Number 8: Toby Faletau vs. Imanol Harinordoquoy

The confrontation between Faletau and Harinordoquoy is a clash of youth against experience. Faletau has been impressive running off the back of the scrum and his work rate in the tackle area is fantastic. Harinordoquoy has been around for a while and has amassed 64 caps, the Biarritz man will look to test the young Dragons back rower. Harinordoquoy is a go to man in the line-out and a destructive ball-carrier, if Wales wish to progress to the final, they must shut him down and not allow him to get over the gain-line which would give the talented French backs time and space to run at the Welsh backs.

Scrum Half: Mike Phillips vs. Dimitri Yachvilli

Mike Phillips is often criticised for taking to long to release the ball from the breakdown, however, Phillips was impressive in the win over Ireland, and his abrasiveness around the breakdown is impressive for a scrum-half. He is stronger than Yachvilli and it will be interesting to see if he uses his advantage over his opposite number. Phillips has to make sure his box kicks are accurate and not too long as the French back-three is incredibly dangerous, they can score from anywhere on the pitch. Yachvilli will start as scrum-half subject to him passing a late fitness test on a bruised leg that he sustained against England. If Yachvilli does not start, France have selected a rookie as a replacement in Jean-Marc Doussain, without Yachvilli, the French would struggle to control the game and Parra would be in total control of the back line.

Fly Half: James Hook vs. Morgan Parra

It is a great shame that Rhys Priestland misses out on the Semi-Final with an injury as he has played well for Wales; he led the backs with authority and kicked well for territory and at goal. However, Wales has an excellent replacement in James Hook, the former Osprey utility back has failed to nail down a starting shirt for his country with his versatility being his downfall. Hook will bring control and assurance for Wales, his goal-kicking will have to be on top form to guide Wales into the final. Parra’s selection has caused a lot of controversy as he is not an out and out fly-half; however he did the basics well against England. He also adds another goal-kicking option, in case Yachvilli struggles to be fit for the match Parra will be able to take over the kicking duties.

Inside-Centre: Jamie Roberts vs. Maxime Mermoz

Jamie Roberts has had a fantastic tournament for Wales in the centres; he has put in some huge tackles and made strong breaks through defences. Roberts was instrumental in setting up Wales’ 1^st try against Ireland as he chased Priestland’s kick and took the high ball in the air. For Wales to have a chance against the French, Roberts has to use his physicality and speed to get himself across the gain line, if he can offload after making a break to players such as George North and Leigh Halfpenny Wales will be a dangerous force to contend with. Maxime Mermoz is not as experienced as his opposite number; however, he is a dangerous player. He read a pass from Dan Carter in France’s 37-17 loss that he picked off and ran in for a try from half-way. Mermoz is not as physical as Roberts; however, he has excellent footwork and pace and will be a difficult opponent to cover. If either centre establishes dominance in the centres, space will open up elsewhere on the pitch.

Teams for Saturday:

Wales: Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues); George North (Scarlets), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues), Shane Williams (Ospreys); James Hook (Perpignan), Mike Phillips (Bayonne); Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Dragons), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (Dragons) Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), Toby Faletau (Dragons).
Replacements: Lloyd Burns (Dragons), Paul James (Ospreys), Bradley Davies (Cardiff Blues), Ryan Jones (Ospreys), Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues), Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets).
France: Maxime Medard; Vincent Clerc, Aurelien Rougerie, Maxime Mermoz, Alexis Palisson; Morgan Parra, Dimitri Yachvili; Jean-Baptiste Poux, William Servat, Nicolas Mas, Pascal Pape, Lionel Nallet, Thierry Dusautoir (capt), Julien Bonnaire, Imanol Harinordoquy.
Replacements (from): Dimitri Szarzewski, Fabien Barcella, Julien Pierre, Louis Picamoles, Francois Trinh-Duc, David Marty, Cedric Heymans, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Jean-Marc Doussain.

Prediction: Wales by 8 points. The Welsh have had an excellent tournament their forwards will create a strong platform and their young backs, which are exciting to watch and will look to play some expansive rugby.  As long as Wales can keep the penalty count down, they should be able to book themselves a place in the final.