Rugby - See You In Ten!

[LDiCesare]

The point of these shirts is they are hard to grab. This supposedly makes tackling harder, but not at this level of play. It also probably makes it harder for the loose head prop to grab his opponent's arm.

[finbar]

Yes, the All Blacks wore them a couple of times during the Tri-Nations. Or at least some of the players did. They're designed to make them harder to grab. I don't know what they'll be like to wear in the hot weather during the WRC, though. There will be little or no air circulation.

[Havak]

Two man team Finbar? That side could have beaten any SH team.

Maybe.

Well I am sure that result went down quite well anyway?

Very disappointing to lose a game we should have strolled away with – but I can’t say I’m that bothered – it answered a lot of questions for our squad and raised a lot more for France.

Let me start by saying that I think France will be perhaps the biggest threat to England at the World Cup – the level of physical challenge they offered up front is beyond anything the big SH sides have thrown at us in years. Should we both reach that semi final clash it will be a huge game.

Now lets look at the bad. The referee. Not hard to see where he came from – typical SH - didn’t penalise the side in possession for anything all game. Totally at sea when asked to police the scrum (and consequently let Galthie get away with absolute murder). Weak and ineffectual when asked to make big decisions – if Finbar still has a thing about Luger then the second French try will live in infamy for the total lack of control the ‘scorer’ had over the ball.

Even so but for a fumble by Sanderson we would still have taken the game.

The big negatives for us – the line out was a total mess and almost certainly cost us the game – 50% does not cut it in the modern game. Borthwick is the lock that will miss the plane – Grewcock and Shaw will be there as back up to the Johnson/Kay axis. Sanderson was out of his depth at 8 and will miss the cut – the gulf in class between him and his (sadly on record as English hating) counterpart was far too evident. Sadly Moody had a very quiet game and I fear has done his chances no good at all. Both hookers had awful throwing games – but then Keith Wood aside there are no good hookers in world rugby right now?

On the plus side? Corry did enough to warrant a place. Healey – the odd howler aside – looks like he will travel as his performance under huge adversity (his scrum was not providing the platform an English scrummy should get) was solid. Gomersall will travel for sure. Any of the front row can make the cut.

Now we are all very familiar with the Kiwi claim, having left two forwards at home last November, that it wasn’t their first team right? Well yesterday England had three ‘first’ teamers in the twenty two – and came as close as anyone has to beating France in Marseille. It’s disappointing but it isn’t the end of my world.

I’d be very interested in Tamerlin and LDiCesares opinion of the truly bizarre extended victory lap the French team did in the stadium after the game – what did they hope to gain? Had they won a world cup or something? The first team will have seen that and it’s the perfect motivator for us for next week? It’s all very French…

To be honest i do not see this French side troubling the first team at HQ - but then you just never know with the French do you?

[Tamerlin]

I don't know about any victory lap as we turned off the television just after the game. As far as I am concerned a 1 point victory over an English B-team is not really a victory to celebrate.

The backs are the real problem, IMO they are not playing the right way, they don't know when they should run or when they should create a maul or open scrum to find again their forwards and tigthen the defense. If you do not hold the defense in place you can't find holes to run through, in other words they put the cart before the horse (curiously enough the french colloquialism is "mettre la charrue devant les boeufs" which should be translated as "to put the plough before the oxen").

I think the game was poor in the sense that it was hardly constructed, there seemed to be nor forethoughts nor plan in the french actions.

[LDiCesare]

I’d be very interested in Tamerlin and LDiCesares opinion of the truly bizarre extended victory lap the French team did in the stadium after the game – what did they hope to gain? Had they won a world cup or something?

I think they were just happy to have beaten England, and that they like the people in Marseille.
I mean, if they had lost to England there, and a diminished England team to say the least, they would have kissed bye bye to any hope. So the lap was probably to show they still had an opportunity to do something in the Cup. But I don't think they fool anyone.

Tamerlin, I agree that the backs are the problem. The forwards were quite good, though the back row didn't manage to be as mobile as needed. The problem was the amount of knocks on and forward passes: All wingers' balls were wrong. The only thing the French did well was to send Traille hurl himself into his opponents to create a ruck. Hardly a match-winning tactic. I hope with a lot of work they will be able to do better.

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by LDiCesare
I hope with a lot of work they will be able to do better.

And a lot of time which France does not have before the RWC...

My main concern is that the lacks of this team are well known since a year, we see them playing like this over and over again and nothing is changing. I agree the forwards have made a good game, but once again they were playing against a B-team, they should have been used more often in mauls and open scrum but that is not their fault.

Another problem is that I see a complete lack of tactic or strategy in the game played by the French team, there is no tactical vision and thus no possibility to adapt the way of playing to the opponent of the day. The last game played against the AB in the Stade vélodrome of Marseilles was eloquent, they played the same way from the beginning to the end of the game though it was obvious since the middle of the first half that it was not the good tactic. I agree the AB were lucky to reach a draw but the French players proved they were, once again, unable to adapt themselves to their adversaries.

[st_swithin]

They should do something about those shorts, though.

[Tamerlin]

You are right, this new type of shirt is awful, give us back our good old ones.

[st_swithin]

At the falconer's request...

LET IT BE SO.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
Two man team Finbar? That side could have beaten any SH team.

Maybe.

Well I am sure that result went down quite well anyway?

I'm just cross that it wasn't shown here! One of the FoxSports channels was showing live s***** and the other one was showing live golf from Germany! I'll settle for the golf, happily, but the s*****!

I keep reading snippets about someone charging the French goal kicker trying to distract him. Who was it? What happened exactly?

if Finbar still has a thing about Luger then the second French try will live in infamy for the total lack of control the ‘scorer’ had over the ball.

Sorry, but nothing will ever supplant Luger's fraudulent effort in the Pantheon of Sporting Frauds.

Both hookers had awful throwing games – but then Keith Wood aside there are no good hookers in world rugby right now?

I've been saying that all season. The class hooker is an endangered species.

I’d be very interested in Tamerlin and LDiCesares opinion of the truly bizarre extended victory lap the French team did in the stadium after the game – what did they hope to gain? Had they won a world cup or something? The first team will have seen that and it’s the perfect motivator for us for next week? It’s all very French…

Obviously I didn't see it, but I assume the players were thanking the crowd for their support. Fair enough. England has done the same thing, lots of teams do it. And if the England 1st XV is going to have as little trouble next week as you believe, they shouldn't need cheap motivation.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
in other words they put the cart before the horse (curiously enough the french colloquialism is "mettre la charrue devant les boeufs" which should be translated as "to put the plough before the oxen").

You serfs!

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
My main concern is that the lacks of this team are well known since a year, we see them playing like this over and over again and nothing is changing.

Now you know how I feel. Exactly the same problem exists with the Wallabies. The only difference is in the detail.

[Andydog]

Originally posted by Havak
Now we are all very familiar with the Kiwi claim, having left two forwards at home last November, that it wasn’t their first team right? Well yesterday England had three ‘first’ teamers in the twenty two – and came as close as anyone has to beating France in Marseille. It’s disappointing but it isn’t the end of my world.

Cripes pull the other one, we had made 13, count them 13 changes to the side that won the tri nations that year. We had a new hooker and two new locks play their first test cap and it was Spencer's first game for the AB's in yonks. New caps included Regan King, Danny Lee, Daniel Braid, Andrew Hore, Brad Mika, Keith Robinson, Rodney So'oialo, Ali Williams and Tony Woodcock. Enough said Havak?

Actually my girlfriend and I visited Leicester this weekend. We were there for about half an hour and got bored, so we decided to visit Leicester Forrest, which turned out to contain about 1 tree, a speedway, and lots of farms. The sheep looked a bit slutty - not like the classy blonds you get back home.

[Havak]

And yet the side that won this years tri-nations contained how many of that tour party?

And of those new caps who played against us did you say? We faced the core of the side that became this years ABs - minus Jack and McCaw.

And how many players were missing in June?

Do you think I'm wrong to be overconfident Finbar? I honestly think unless France improve enormously it will be a comfortable win on Saturday.

And I can also tell the difference between thanking a crowd and triumphalism.

[Havak]

Andydog - there is plenty to see in Leicester but the council make very little of the city's history so I can see how a visitor would fail to find the interesting things.

I bet you never even made it to Welford Road?

But then I'll not defend the city too much - I live in a far more exclusive part of the county myself (much classier sheep).