Marc Lievremont
France coach Marc Lievremont and captain Thierry Dusautoir attend a news conference in Auckland.

Saturday, 15 October

Wales vs. France

Eden Park, Auckland

Kick-off: 0900 BST

Where to watch: ITV1 will broadcast live coverage from 0830 BST, with full highlights and program scheduling available on the Web site. BBC 5 Live will provide live radio commentary.

Preview: France coach Marc Lievremont and captain Thierry Dusautoir attend a news conference in Auckland.

France and Wales will vie to become the European representative in the 2011 World Cup Final when they meet at Eden Park Saturday.

Both teams harbour realistic hopes of reaching the final in Auckland on 23 October, after overcoming mediocre starts and internal strife to reach the last four.

A long-awaited World Cup victory over England relieved some of the pressure on a beleaguered French squad, but coach Marc Lievremont warned nothing less than victory over the Welsh would suffice on Saturday.

"A good match against England isn't enough to rid us of all our frustrations," the Frenchman told reporters.

"What we need as Latins is a hint of anger ... something that will give us impetus, and that is what we are looking for.

"Yes, it was a good match against England, but that wasn't enough to free us. We now need to make sure we don't miss this opportunity that we have been given in the semifinals."

Reports of unrest in the French camp translated to uneven performances in the group stage, culminating with defeats against Tonga and New Zealand that led to criticism of Lievremont's management back home.

The French coach admitted he was fearful of the Wales, but remained upbeat about his side's chances of reaching the final.

"Yes, I am afraid," he said. "Above all, I am afraid of the Welsh.

"Right now, we are running on adrenaline -- I keep telling myself I can sleep in 10 days' times. I don't need much sleep generally, but it is true, I am more stressed right now.

"What we need to remember is that we had never beaten England at such a high level. That's something we can take strength from."

Wales announced Thursday that James Hook would replace the injured Rhys Priestland at fly-half for Saturday's clash.

Priestland is the only injury concern for Wales, who will be making their first World Cup semifinal appearance since 1987.

Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Shane Williams, 10 James Hook, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (capt), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Huw Bennett, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Lloyd Burns, 17 Paul James, 18 Bradley Davies, 19 Ryan Jones, 20 Lloyd Williams, 21 Stephen Jones, 22 Scott Williams.

France: 15 Maxime Medard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Aurelien Rougerie, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Alexis Palisson, 10 Morgan Parra, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Imanol Harinordoquy, 7 Julien Bonnaire, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (capt), 5 Lionel Nallet, 4 Pascal Pape, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 William Servat, 1 Jean-Baptiste Poux.
Replacements: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Fabien Barcella, 18 Julien Pierre, 19 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 20 Francois Trinh-Duc, 21 Jean-Marc Doussain, 22 Cedric Heymans.