Rugby - Advantage Over!

[LDiCesare]

About Laporte: Tamerlin explained it quite well. Laporte did very well in the French championship, both as plyaer (scrum half) and as coach. HE was never an international.
I think some of his choices for players are a bit too emotional. In particular, I think he should use Brusque as a fullback more often.
I also hope that France will be able to make a surprise against the all blacks, but don't really believe in it. The pack isn't really what it should be, being somewhat experimental, and we definitely need to find a reliable fly half: Merceron can be good, but he's not as good as he used to be, and noone else has yet reached the level he had - though Michalak could, maybe if he played 10 more often in club. Tamerlin, can you pass the word?

[Tamerlin]

I wish I could, I say he should play fly-half since two years as I have often seen him playing with the Stade Toulousain and is IMO better at this place.

About the French team I would like them to create a surprise but I don't expect it neither.


(This last sentence is for Finbar)

But should France raise its game level, no doubt one of those overlenient SH referees will cut their legs and spoil the game.

[Tamerlin]

Sorry guies, I am not reading all the posts nor answering to all the interesting ones as I am very busy these days, unlike some of you I still don't have a job and thus the time to spend the whole day on the Internet.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
Sorry guies, I am not reading all the posts nor answering to all the interesting ones as I am very busy these days, unlike some of you I still don't have a job and thus the time to spend the whole day on the Internet.

Not answering all the interesting ones? What interesting ones? I think you're confusing your threads.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
(This last sentence is for Finbar)

But should France raise its game level, no doubt one of those overlenient SH referees will cut their legs and spoil the game.

Put it this way, if they don't raise their game level soon, Laporte will cut off their legs.

Oh, and I heard an interesting little news item this morning. A homing pigeon took off from England to fly to France. It landed in America. You weren't out there with your shotgun looking for Pigeon Pie, were you?

[LDiCesare]

So France lost and New Zealand won.
Little surprise here. Apaprently, the French played better than they did against Argentina, but still committed many fould, and Rocococo looks like a good player. I didn't see the match, just a few images and comments on TV.

[Caligastia]

Yeah, France did do better than expected. Towards the end of the game when the All Black captian Rueben Thorne got sent off the French actually looked like possibly stealing the game when they got within 5 points. Luckily for NZ, they kicked a penalty and finished with the 8-point lead.

Overall it was a pretty exciting game with plenty of action from both sides. I was getting a bit frustrated with the All Blacks in the lineout because I only saw them contest the French throw-in once in the whole game! What is the point of conceding the lineout to the opposition??

Referee Andre Watson wasn't too bad except for a terrible call that cost NZ a certain try. He blew the whistle for a forward pass that clearly wasn't, just as NZ was about to go over for a try.

[Paradox]

VIVA South Africa!!!

OK so we beat the Scots 2-0 and only just managed to clinch the game from the Argies, but

all hope is not lost, especially with the likes of Brent Russel ( why the heck does Strueli insist on putting our best players on the bench ), and Louis Koen ( 40+ points in 2 matches damn that lads got a boot!!!). Mind you the rest of the backline looked pathetic for the first 75 minutes of the game.

Besides we have the old stalwarts Krige, AJ Venter, KempstonWesterhuizen. Get rid of Bobo and his dreadlocks tho......Still rate the Springbok forwards

Frankly we dont have a chance at the RWC IMO....its England all the way ( about time they did something useful anyway )

Gotta say it was a scrappy game...usually the case when u play Spanish rugby converts , but hopefully a sign for better times for the Springboks after nearly losing all their world records against EVERYONE.

Were a far cry from the '95 team that took the RWC but, if the ****** in management can just keep 15 players in 2 consecutive matches we might have an outside chance!!

[Paradox]

OH and i almost forgot

Caligastia dont try to much Nostradamus with rugby....your'e bound to get disappointed LOL

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Paradox
OH and i almost forgot

Caligastia dont try to much Nostradamus with rugby....your'e bound to get disappointed LOL

Are you defending Andre Watson? Come on, you have to admit that pass was not forward and that a try was on.

[Paradox]

Originally posted by Caligastia


Are you defending Andre Watson? Come on, you have to admit that pass was not forward and that a try was on.

Not at all. I didnt even mention him!

My referal was to your earlier statement in this thread re the Cocks being better competition than the Boks. But the Argies just beat them 2-0, and weve just beaten the Argies

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Referee Andre Watson wasn't too bad except for a terrible call that cost NZ a certain try. He blew the whistle for a forward pass that clearly wasn't, just as NZ was about to go over for a try.

You are right... he was Southern-Hemispherily terrible.

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Are you defending Andre Watson? Come on, you have to admit that pass was not forward and that a try was on.

Yep, it was not forward... just another mystical call among others from Mr Watson.

[Paradox]

To be honest i never even saw the match so I can't comment.

Besides, since when was he the 1st or LAST ref north or south to make an error? Smacks to me of subjective viewing guys

Anyway i didnt want to start a war...i was just giving this thread a Bokke slant to. Is that OK with you chaps?

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Yeah, France did do better than expected. Towards the end of the game when the All Black captian Rueben Thorne got sent off the French actually looked like possibly stealing the game when they got within 5 points. Luckily for NZ, they kicked a penalty and finished with the 8-point lead.

Overall it was a pretty exciting game with plenty of action from both sides. I was getting a bit frustrated with the All Blacks in the lineout because I only saw them contest the French throw-in once in the whole game! What is the point of conceding the lineout to the opposition??

Referee Andre Watson wasn't too bad except for a terrible call that cost NZ a certain try. He blew the whistle for a forward pass that clearly wasn't, just as NZ was about to go over for a try.

I can't imagine John Mitchell being terribly pleased with the AB performance. Apart from the first-half patch that saw Rokocoko's bonanza, they lacked fluency, their scrum was being upset by Les Grenouilles' pack - very much a second-string outfit - and their lineout effort was, as you say, puzzling. Les Grenouilles would have to be very happy with their effort after, apparently, sub-standard jobs against the Pumas. Obviously Les Grenouilles lifted for the game, their record against the ABs in recent times is very good, but I thought they rather embarrassed the ABs overall.

Oh, and the pre-match stuff only reinforced my view that the French anthem is a wondrous thing.