In advance of their hour and 20 minutes of greatest need, Bernard Laporte and the French think tank devised a selection containing an untried halfback combination and fullback, two big-tackling, spoiling flankers and some pre-cooked impact replacements.
It was designed to keep the world's most potent team at arm's length on the pitch and within reach on the scoreboard with tactics based unashamedly on kicking and territory for an hour or so, before rediscovering their heritage and attacking instincts in the final quarter.
It worked so well that despite England representing an altogether different challenge - they have averaged the least points per game (24) of any semi-finalist in World Cup history - the French coach had little option but to retain the starting and replacement personnel en bloc from the 20-18 win over the All Blacks.
"All the players gave us satisfaction against New Zealand and that made it very difficult for us to take somebody out. We had the option of changing a few players but it wouldn't have been fair," said Laporte, who has resisted his innate temptation to change for the first time since the Six Nations after hitting upon the right formula, if not quite by accident, then by force of circumstances. Nevertheless, France are mindful that England keep the scoreboard ticking more by dint of Jonny Wilkinson's boot - witness his haul of 24 points in the 24-7 semi-final win four years ago. "The players will have to fight all together, defend well, remain disciplined and take calculated risks," the France coach said.
The French, characteristically and understandably, have refused to answer questions in English and amid a heavy dollop of irony manager Joe Maso introduced an interpreter for the first time in this tournament, namely Alison Moore, a freelance interpreter from Dublin who was educated in Newpark Comprehensive, St Andrew's College and Bath University and, despite the many millions this tournament is expected to generate, is working for the IRB at the World Cup on a voluntary basis.
There had been some concern that Serge Betsen would be ruled out after apparently suffering concussion in the early stages of last Saturday's quarter-final. "He has seen a neurologist. Without the green light from the doctors we would have never said yes," said Laporte.
"There is being knocked out and being knocked out. I have already known what that's like and I was back in training two days later," said Betsen.
For all the euphoria which greeted the win against New Zealand, Laporte admitted that at lineout time "We were not good in calling the plays and our jumps".
On va a gagner (we win with 30) having been the squad's mantra since long before the tournament commenced, to exclude the same eight players two games in succession probably stuck in their craw a little. But Maso maintained: "The eight who won't play are as important as the 22 in the squad in regards to team spirit. In this team there are no awkward characters. We have confidence in the mentality of our players. My job, and certainly more than Bernard's, is to go and see each individual and reassure them, to explain that a career is not decided on one match."
