Basque in the Glory of a New France

A new generation of French rugby stars is emerging at this World Cup, and their influence is likely to last through the next four years until the tournament is staged in France for the first time, replacing the seasoned players who took les bleus to the final in 1999.

Young, charismatic and talented, they are led by the fly-half Frédéric Michalak and the No8 Imanol Harinordoquy, who became a fixture in the squad on his debut against Wales in the grand slam season of 2002 after Olivier Magne's ban for stamping. He will play a key role in securing France's lineout ball on Sunday against England's strong and seasoned locks Martin Johnson and Ben Kay.

The young Basque anticipates a mighty battle, one going up to and beyond the limits of the rulebook. "England rely more on the speed of the throw; they have fewer variations than the Irish, just have two blocks around Kay and Johnson. The Irish have a different style; they are very effective at winning the ball and counter-attacking, and they cheat less than England. Even when England lose the ball in the air, they win it down below. They take you out as you're coming down, they try to make you fall, they contest everything, right to the end."

Harinordoquy's contribution was vital in the quarter- final victory over Ireland. His aerial take of Michalak's diagonal kick to the Irish try-line less than three minutes in set up Magne's try, which put Ireland on the back foot immediately, and his finishing speed secured France's third try which buried the Irish just before half-time. "Golden hands" was the France coach Bernard Laporte's verdict.

His finger-pointing "Superman" salute as he dived down with the ball earned him a reprimand from France's staff. "I could have dislocated my shoulder. I had no idea it was dangerous, but I don't often score tries and I wanted to show what I felt. It didn't hurt, but I won't do it again."

The 23-year-old is also famous, or infamous, for expressing his feelings about France's old enemy before last season's crunch Six Nations opener at Twickenham, reportedly saying of England, "I despise them as much as they despise everyone else."

A year on, he is more diplomatic and sings from the same songsheet as Laporte. "A lot of people extrapolated from some things I said. I think a lot of people don't like England but I respect them. They have been the best for two years. I didn't say I didn't like English people."

Harinordoquy's views were coloured by experiences when playing against England at Under-19 and Under-21 level. "There was one very hard match in particular; I don't have good memories of it. There were a lot of punches coming in and, especially when you are young, that's not a good way to play."

If he comes across as something of a Corinthian, that is understandable. It's partly down to his Basque upbringing, which mingles intense national pride with close-knit family values, partly also perhaps because he does not consider himself to be playing rugby as a job. "I train a lot, I know what it means, and of course it's not the same as 10 years ago when I was playing with my friends, but one thing hasn't changed: I play for the pleasure of it."

Significantly, when the time came to choose between his family's cattle-trading business, buying and selling beasts across the nearby Spanish border, and professional rugby with Pau, he signed only a one-year contract, so his options remained open. Even now, he signs only one-year deals; he likes the feeling of freedom.

As a Basque, Harinordoquy's first contact with a ball was in playing pelota, the fast ball game of the region. He also tried swimming, football and judo, reaching green belt standard before turning to rugby when a knee injury curtailed his football at the age of 14. He loved the camaraderie, the spirit, but "I didn't like the ball at first; I never played with the ball. I just took pleasure in tackling."

He takes pride in his national identity. He was brought up speaking the impenetrable Basque language of his parents and takes time to explain that his first club, Garazi - the Basque for his home town of St Jean Pied de Port, five kilometres into France from the Spanish border - has been renamed US Navarre, after the Basque province that straddles the Pyrenees into this part of France. In an region that proclaims itself neither French nor Spanish, these nuances matter.

He takes pride too in the current form of France's back row, now the lightest but perhaps the most sparkling unit in the tournament, jointly producing tries such as the little gem against Scotland, started by Magne, continued by Harinordoquy, finished by Serge Betsen. Sunday will be their 18th outing together since they played in the Six Nations game against England in 2002.

France's forwards coach Jacques Brunel explains that initially Harinordoquy was spotted as a back-row lineout jumper, but he has gained in speed, physical presence and dexterity. "He's got the perfect balance between speed and weight, and he has a good sidestep. He has come a long way in two years, but there's still room for improvement." That is a mouthwatering prospect.