France's makeshift Parra-trooper eyes dream finale

Few pundits, even the most imaginative, would have predicted Morgan Parra as a starting flyhalf in the World Cup final before the start of the tournament. The 22-year-old pitched up at his first World Cup looking only to win a duel with Dimitri Yachvili to be first-choice scrumhalf for France but on Sunday he will line up at Eden Park alongside his erstwhile rival in the number 10 shirt.Surprised himself at his mid-tournament transition, just reaching the showdown with hosts and hot favourites New Zealand is not enough to satisfy Parra's competitive nature. "I never thought I would be playing in the final at number 10," Parra, the youngest player in the France squad, told reporters on Thursday. "It is a childhood dream of mine and I am trying to make the most of it. "I am going to try to enjoy it the best I can, be that on the pitch or off the pitch. But for the dream to come true we have to win this weekend."The positional switch came about partly because of form, partly because of injury and partly because of the unpredictable mind of coach Marc Lievremont.First incumbent Francois Trinh-Duc disappointed Lievremont before Parra's club mate David Skrela damaged his shoulder badly enough to rule himself out of the tournament.After a couple of cameos at flyhalf at the dog end of pool matches against Japan and Canada, Parra was flung into the team to face Dan Carter and the All Blacks in his first start in the position at any level for more than two years.It would be fair to say Parra has not quite lit up the tournament, athough equally fair to point out that he is still learning the ropes in what remains the pivotal role in a rugby team. "Certainly the more I've played the more comfortable I feel playing in that position and I think that will show itself on the pitch this weekend," he said.A solid performance in the 37-17 defeat by the All Blacks in the pool phase was followed by defeat to Tonga and then his, and France's, best display of the competition to beat England in the quarter-finals.The laboured semi-final victory over Wales and the controversial dismissal of Sam Warburton, however, effectively robbed the French of the role of romantic underdogs for the final.Parra admits the chorus of people lining up to say the French did not deserve to be in the final had hurt but insisted it was also helping to bring the squad together. "We thought after England that we would have a bit more support but following the match against Wales it was still us against the world," Parra said."We are used to that and we're going to be ready for this match. Above all, we're going to win the match."France, who have lost both their previous two final appearances in 1987 and 1999, sensationally upset New Zealand in the latter tournament on the back of some dynamite back play.They have shown little of that brilliance at this World Cup and Parra, nicknamed "gorse bush" for his tenacity, knows it will be up to him to get the players outside him moving if the French are to have any hope of an upset. "I don't think we have put our best foot forward, we hope to do that this weekend," he said. Parra said a neck injury that had restricted his mobility earlier in the week had improved and, while looking forward to returning to scrumhalf when he gets back to his Clermont-Auvergne club, he was happy to seize his opportunity at flyhalf in the biggest game of his career this weekend. "As long as I am playing it and I'm enjoying it, I don't care where I play," he said.