Pool B: Coach Bernard Laporte gave his first-string players a huge vote of confidence by naming France's team for the World Cup quarter-finals yesterday - 13 days before kick-off.

"Barring injuries, the 15 players who played against Scotland are on the starting line for our quarter-final," he said after naming a second-string team for their last Pool B match, against the United States on Friday in Woolongong.

"There still are some places up for grabs in the 22," he added. "The players who will play are in competition for a berth on the replacements bench for prop, lock, back row, centre and wing positions."

If the French coach stays true to his word, France will field props Jean-Jacques Crenca and Sylvain Marconnet, hooker Raphael Ibanez, locks Fabien Pelous and Jerome Thion, number eight Imanol Harnordoquy and flankers Olivier Magne and Serge Betsen.

Captain Fabien Galthie and Frederic Michalak will be the halfbacks, with Christophe Dominici and Aurelien Rougerie the wingers, Tony Marsh and Yannick Jauzion in the centre and Nicolas Brusque at full back.

Jet-lagged winger David Bory, who will face the United States after joining up with the French squad as a replacement yesterday, was still hoping to make a point to the national selectors.

Bory, drafted in following an injury to Xavier Garbajosa, said: "I want to prove that the coachesmade a mistake when they didn't select me.

"I have the opportunity to prove that I was worthy of a berth in the squad,"

After wins over Fiji and Japan and an awesome demolition 51-9 of Scotland, France will face the losers of Saturday's last Pool A game between defending champions Australia and Ireland in Melbourne on November 9th.

FRANCE (v USA): C Poitrenaud; P Elhorga, D Traille, B Liebenberg, D Bory; G Merceron, D Yachvili; O Milloud, Y Bru (capt), J-B Poux, D Auradou, O Brouzet, S Chabal, P Tabacco, C Labit. Replacements: R Ibanez, S Marconnet, J Thion, O Magne, F Michalak, Y Jauzion, A Rougerie.