As the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series reaches the half-way stage at Rotterdam in The Netherlands this Friday, the big question on everyone’s lips is “can the runaway French be stopped in their tracks?”.  The defending series champions have a commanding advantage at the top of the 2010 leaderboard after their hat-trick of victories at La Baule (FRA), Rome (ITA) and St Gallen (SUI) over the last four weeks, and Chef d’Equipe Laurent Elias is taking no chances with another crack side for this latest fixture.

The French are also the defending champions at Rotterdam where Penelope Leprevost was the heroine in 2009 when clinching the honours in a thrilling third-round head-to-head against America’s McLain Ward.  The lady from Normandy has firmly established herself as a linchpin of her national side since then, and is again selected for this week’s event alongside Kevin Staut, Patrice Deleveau, Michel Robert and Marie Etter Pellegrin.

BOUNCED BACK

Under the management of new Chef d’Equipe, Rob Hoekstra, the British have bounced back with renewed determination this season and are currently lying second on the series table, although a full 11.5 points behind the leaders.  Peter Charles and Murka’s Pom d’Ami will be making their fourth consecutive appearance and are backed up by Scott Brash, David McPherson, Gemma Paternoster and the inimitable John Whitaker.  Next in line are the Germans, runners-up last time out, fifth in St Gallen and joint-third at La Baule.  Their big guns came out at the Swiss fixture but still could not contain the relentless French onslaught.  However Ludger Beerbaum, Marcus Ehning, Janne-Friederike Meyer, Carsten-Otto Nagel and Mario Stevens will be hoping to put that to rights this time around. 

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