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Rugby Union

Ibanez handed France captaincy

02/07/2007

Veteran front-row forward Raphael Ibanez has been named as France's captain for the upcoming rugby World Cup.

The 34-year-old will replace Fabien Pelous as skipper because of the second-row's injury problems, and the French Rugby Federation (FFR) says it does not want to put any added pressure on his shoulders.

As a result, Ibanez – who plays for Heineken Cup winners Wasps – will lead the side, as he did in the 1999 tournament when France reached the final before losing to Australia in Cardiff.

"We have picked Raphael Ibanez as captain for the World Cup because he has been a consistent and reliable player. He was also captain for the Six Nations," said team manager Jo Maso.

"We do not want to put the pressure on Fabien Pelous. It is necessary that first he returns and takes his place [in the first-team]."

Maso added that the decision to strip Pelous of the captaincy was not too difficult because the two men "are the best of friends" and both were consulted early in the process.

The French team will be playing at home throughout the tournament, which begins in September, and have a realistic chance of claiming their maiden world title.

New Zealand, by far and away the world's best team going into the competition, were beaten by bitter rivals Australia for the first time in three years in Saturday's Tri-Nations match – giving hope to the other top teams.

France are currently ranked third in the world behind the All Blacks and Australia, with South Africa ranked fourth and Ireland fifth. The northern hemisphere teams will have something of an advantage however, as the tournament returns to Europe for the first time in eight years.

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