(Reuters) – As a junior player with big dreams, Australia’s Clare Hunt once idolised Wendie Renard, but now the defender will try to shut down France’s captain in a dream Women’s World Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
“Wendie Renard was a role model for me,” Hunt told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday. “I saw her composure at a young age and wanted to emulate that in some way. I feel like I know the way that Wendie plays because I used to watch her as a kid.”
The 6-ft 2-in (1.87m) Renard has been a defensive colossus for France for more than a decade and is a huge threat in attacking set-pieces.
She has been a major factor in France’s progress to the quarter-finals, scoring with a header late against Brazil to earn Les Bleus a vital 2-1 win at Brisbane’s Lang Park in the group stage.
Renard will be back at Lang Park for the quarter-final, ensuring Hunt and fellow centre-back Alanna Kennedy have a job to do to quell her influence.
“She’s an exceptional athlete,” Hunt said. “Her height is such an advantage on set-pieces, but we will just continue to do what we’ve been doing on our set-pieces.”
At the other end, France may be worrying about how to stop striker-captain Sam Kerr, who returned from a calf injury off the bench in Australia’s 2-0 win over Denmark in the round of 16.
Australia coach Tony Gustavsson has used midfielder Emily van Egmond as a forward while resting Kerr, but he may look to restore the talismanic skipper to his starting 11 against the French.
That would most likely relegate Van Egmond to the bench, but the San Diego Wave player was unfazed.
“Look, I think for any player in any situation, whenever called upon or whatever role they have to play, everyone’s ready,” she told reporters. “Sam’s the best striker in the world. For us, it’s a huge boost. There’s no other way to look at it other than it’s a massive positive going into this big game.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Gerry Doyle)
