Maka targets France's flaws
Friday 30 September 2011, 3:11AM
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Tonga captain Finau Maka has lit a fuse underneath his side's Pool A match against France on Saturday by suggesting Les Bleus are vulnerable at centre and in the front row.
Maka returns to the Tonga line-up after missing the last match against Japan and he didn't hold back when asked at a press conference whether he had identified any weaknesses in the opposition.
"I think maybe their centres (Maxime Mermoz and Aurélien Rougerie) are quite weak, just because I think Rougerie's not a centre (and he) and Maxime haven't played together for a long time," said Maka.
"And also maybe their front row (Jean-Baptiste Poux, William Servat and Luc Ducalcon). We can target their scrum."
Maka, who played for a decade in France with Toulouse and still lives there, approved of the selection of just two of the seven backs in coach Marc Lièvremont's line-up for the match - scrum half Dimitri Yachvili and wing Vincent Clerc - and claimed the best centre pairing of Florian Fritz and Yannick Jauzion had been left behind in France.
Hard work
"They (Fritz and Jauzion) won the French championship last season (for Toulouse). I think they made Clerc and Cédric Heymans and Max (Maxime) Médard, who scored the tries, look good, but they were the ones to do the hard work."
Coach Isitolo Maka was more diplomatic than his brother in assessing the challenge faced by the Tongans at Wellington Regional Stadium.
"I have a lot of respect for the French team. It doesn't matter who they put on the field, they always do their best," he said.
"For us it's not going to be easy. Whether they change or whoever is playing, they are the French team and they have the French flair. They can beat anyone on their day."
In addition to Maka's return, there are three changes in the Tonga starting line-up from the XV that beat Japan 31-18, with tighthead prop Kisi Pulu in for Taufa'ao Filise, inside centre Alipate Fatafehi replaced by Sukanaivalu Hufanga and wing Fetu'u Vainikolo dropping out for Viliame Iongi.
France are five points ahead of Tonga in Pool A with a better scoring record, heavily stacking the odds against the South Sea Islanders in their quest for a quarter-final place.