A match against Canada in Milton Keynes may seem as routine as things will get in the Rugby World Cup, but pressure does strange things to France. They made tough work of Romania after all, and Canada come into the game knowing they should have beaten Italy in their previous outing. The Canucks have had just five days to recover from the disappointment of their 23-18 defeat in Leeds, though, and a lot will depend on how they react. Les Bleus know they must win to ensure they go into their final match against Ireland with a chance of topping Pool D, and they will start as heavy favourites.

Team news

France coach Philippe Saint-Andre has retained only three players from the side that eventually secured a bonus-point victory against the Romanians. Wesley Fofana is the only player who will line up in the same position, though, as Brice Dulin moves to the left wing from fullback and Bernard La Roux swaps lock for openside flanker. Meanwhile, Remy Grosso will make his France debut on the right wing.

Canada head coach Kieran Crowley has not rested on his laurels, making seven changes to the side that earned rave reviews in their weekend defeat by Italy. Among those coming in are centre Nick Blevins, while scrum-half Phil Mack, who made a good impression off the bench in Leeds, also starts. Up front Aaron Carpenter comes in at hooker, Brett Beukeboom starts at lock, and Kyle Gilmour and Richard Thorpe join captain Tyler Ardron in the back row. The other change is on the bench where Gordon McRorie takes his place.

France: Scott Spedding, Remy Grosso, Mathieu Bastareaud, Wesley Fofana, Brice Dulin, Frederic Michalak, Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Eddy Ben Arous, Guilhem Guirado, Rabah Slimani, Pascal Pape, Yoann Maestri, Thierry Dusautoir (captain), Bernard Le Roux, Damien Chouly.

Replacements: Benjamin Kayser, Vincent Debaty, Nicolas Mas, Yannick Nyanga, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Morgan Parra, Remi Tales, Alexandre Dumoulin.

Canada: Matt Evans, Phil MacKenzie, Ciaran Hearn, Nick Blevins, DTH van der Merwe, Nathan Hirayama, Phil Mack; Hubert Buydens, Aaron Carpenter, Doug Wooldridge, Brett Beukeboom, Jamie Cudmore, Kyle Gilmour, Richard Thorpe, Tyler Ardron (Captain).

Replacements: Ray Barkwill, Djustice Sears‐Duru, Andrew Tiedemann, Evan Olmstead, Nanyak Dala, Gordon McRorie, Harry Jones, Conor Trainor

Key head-to-head

Ciaran Hearn is one of the players in whom Canada coach Crowley has kept faith, and for good reason; the centre was arguably his country's best player last Saturday. His elusive running, allied with the rather more direct DTH van der Merwe, gave Italy all kinds of problems; but he will face a challenge of a different kind on Thursday night. Mathieu Bastareaud is not a man who takes prisoners in defence or attack, and he will look to impose himself on his opposite number. How the Canucks' No.13 fares could give an indication of how their night will pan out.

Key stats

*France and Canada have met eight times in capped internationals, with the Canucks winning just once. Les Bleus have scored between 46 and 50 points in each of the past three games.

*The sides have played each other three times in World Cups, with France winning all three and roughly doubling the winning margin each time. From six points in 1991, to 13 points in 1999 and 27 points in 2011.

*Canada's Jamie Cudmore will make his 13th World Cup appearance, just one off his country's record.

Odds

France are huge odds-on favourites to win the match with Unibet, where you can only get an unattractive 1/100 for a win for Saint-Andre's side. If you believe in miracles, the same firm are offering Canada at 30/1. If you are confident France will romp it, you can get 11/2 on them winning without conceding a single point.

Weather

Good news for French and Canadian fans is that Thursday is set to be sunny in Milton Keynes. By 8pm that will have of course have disappeared with the temperature dropping to around 13 degrees, but at least the rain should stay away.

Prediction

France have not been at their best in the World Cup so far, but they have two wins and are only a point off Ireland at the top of Pool D. They know a bonus-point win will put the pressure on Joe Schmidt's men and they can be expected to get it; whether they need another half-time rocket from Saint-Andre remains to be seen.