Obviously getting a leg up is important for the two teams meet the following Saturday in Lisbon.

The winner of the two legs then plays Uruguay, home and away, for the right to go to France.

Morocco have a much changed side from the one which lost to Namibia and a new coach.

Of the team which played Namibia Mounir Elhajji,  Abdellatif Boutati, Hicham Housni, Hamid Arif, Samir Amechtane, Mohamed Gouasmia, Mounir El Hamzaoui and  Arif Nassim remain. Missing are players who would be expected to be there, including fullback Aziz Chahid, Boujouala Boubker wing , centres Eziyar Jawad and Derraz Younès,  halfbacks Thomas Garçia and Aissaoui Kamal, flank Mathias Garçia, lock Hicham Laoni, and hooker Jalil Narjissi who plays for Agen and has captained Morocco.

Frenchman Claude Sorel, who used to coach Georgia, is Morocco's new coach.

Morocco has been trying to get to the World Cup since 1990. For the 1991 World Cup they lost out to Zimbabwe, for 1995 to Côte d’Ivoire, for 199 and 2003 to Namibia.

Morocco first played international rugby in 1931 and in those early years its regular opponents were Spain. It plays its rugby largely in the Confederation of African Rugby with natural rivalry with Tunisia.

Most of the players play in France, many of them in amateur rugby - whatever amateur rugby is.

Morocco's squad of 22:

Forwards:

Front row: Gouasmia Mohamed, Samir Amechtane, Youssef El Mir,  Faissal Benchrif, Abdelkafi Abachri, Mounir El Hamzaoui
Locks: Mohamed Loukrassi, Younes Ho, Hamid Arif
Loose forwards: Housni Hicham, Rhailly Anwar, Abdellatif Boutati,

Backs:

Halves: Ait Moussa Said, Achahbar Adil
Three-quarters: Labbi Mouad, Hafidi Hakim, Zouhdi Mehdi, Chahid Gharib, Ouajdi Mohcine, Mounir El Hajji, Nassim Arif, Nemli Khalid.

Date: Saturday, 20 January 2007
Venue: Stade du COC, Casablanca
Expected weather conditions: Scattered clouds with a high of 22 C, dropping to 13°C and a light wind
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Touch judges: Rob Debney, David Kurk (both England)