Rugby - Laissez la balle, Bleus!

[finbar]

It was a vastly more interesting match after the interval. Both teams produced some quality. Silly penalties did cost Leicester. J. White's a nong. Where was A. Mehrtens? Injured again?

It looked for a moment over the weekend that P. Vickery might miss next week, thus improving England's chances. Not so, apparently.

[Havak]

Yes that was a double whammy of bad news - the hated insects whitewashing a team AND Vickery not actually being injured despite all the reports to the contrary yesterday.

Mehrtens - he had a knee Op back in late autumn and was ready to come back in early Feb but I believe he tweaked it again in training. Jarvis has promise but I think it is fair to say they are missing Mr M somewhat.

[Havak]

Bernard Laporte must be delighted that Sylvain Marconnet went skiing on his rest weekend?

*edit* And Saracens have been linked with signing Chris Jack after the RWC. Thats a big loss for the ABs if he moves on at just 28 years old.

[finbar]

One less opportunity for a young English lock.

[Havak]

Yep. Saracens were an early adopter of the 'foreign legion' policy and are still very committed to it.

[finbar]

Glad Leicester aren't. Deeply suntanned wingers from Leicester's local surf beach, two Kiwi-accented locals in the centres next season, along with a local-ish prop with his own pasta making machine. Who have I missed?

[LDiCesare]

playing Scotland in Edinburgh during “RWC France 2007”

The Scots need, that, don't they?

As for Marconnet, it's really bad news. (I personnally strongly dislike ski, knowing a few persons who destroyed their knees or other parts of their legs there. Too dangerous for me. And cold. And wet. And when you fall on the soil and there's a lot of water on top of it, you should rise brown and muddy rather than slightly soaked). He may come back for the world cup if he stays out for only 3 months, but if it's 4 months, he'll miss the end of the season and that will make things hard for the World Cup.
Laporte must be all the more unhappy that he knows we lack options for props. Considering the first match of the WC will be against Argentina who are among the best front row, that really does not help.

[finbar]

Sonny Bono speaks very highly of skiing.

[ravagon]

Originally posted by finbar
Pity T. Flavell is psychotic - when he puts his mind to it and plays rugby, he's very good. He was actually well behaved this morning.

He's supposed to have cooled down quite a bit since becoming captain. It doesn't excuse all he's done in the past but I hope it continues.

I caught a repeat of Sharks v Crusaders as I waited for my own match to come on Saturday evening. How cruel that Sharks stole the game with the very last play of the match. And that Mr Dickinson managed to miss the ‘lateral’ ball to the try scorer.

Not only that but none of the Crusaders heard the final siren. They had posession at the time and didn't put it out.


[Edit: I went hunting upon hearing that bit about Chris Jack. Only thing I could find is an article quoting Saracens management that seems to imply that even they believe they're a long way from actually getting him to sign on. Somebody counting chickens as yet methinks. ]

[LDiCesare]

Bad news for the Stade Francais: Roncero and Auradou are both hurt. Along with Marconnet and Swarzewski, this means Leicester will face a very weakened team on april 1st in the H cup: A whole front row of international players plus one second row out.
I believe Roncero's wound is not bad enough to prevent him from playing the world cup, however, but I'm not sure. Even then, Argentina has spare props.

[Havak]

Who have I missed?

Lets see – you got our two Pacific Islander Wingers, the current and the impending Kiwi and our Italian tight head.

Hmm that only really leaves our Argentinian Prop. And our other Argentinian-Italian prop. And the two brothers of one of those wingers (one injured, one away on loan I think). There’s eight Irishmen in the squad (3 called Murphy!) if that counts. And two Scots (one is largely and Englishman who chose to play for Scotland and the other leaving at the end of the season).

There are 23 Englishmen in the squad too – probably the lowest that number has ever been!

The Scots need, that, don't they?

It is their only (very slim) hope for that fixture.

I am with you on skiing – tried it once and hated it. I’m not hugely disappointed that France have lost a prop for this weekend though.

Is there a groan icon for Finbar’s reference to Sonny?

Not only that but none of the Crusaders heard the final siren. They had possession at the time and didn't put it out.

Ouch! That just rubs salt in their wound doesn’t it?

Somebody counting chickens as yet methinks.

Well the Saracens CEO has admitted the club has spoken to Chris so there is some fire behind the smoke on this one. As we know though this is one of two things – it is either Jack trying to up the ante as his AB contract comes up for renewal or he really is considering coming north because he thinks his AB time is coming to an end.

It doesn’t appear to me that his AB place is under any pressure at all in the immediate future (it’s one position where you certainly don’t have such quality in depth) – so I suspect he is just driving his value up for when the NZ Union resigns him to a new contract?

this means Leicester will face a very weakened team on april 1st in the H cup

I approve!

We are still quite capable of losing the fixture however.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
There are 23 Englishmen in the squad too – probably the lowest that number has ever been!

QED. Vale English rugby.

Is there a groan icon for Finbar’s reference to Sonny?

One of my better lines. Wasted on this lot!

[Havak]

We are a tough crowd.

A very strange squad selection by Mr Ashton. He has bumped Cozza into the second row (where his obvious lack of pace these days will be better hidden) and dropped Deacon to the bench. Grewcock is dropped altogether (and that might be it for him career wise). Rees starts for the benched Lund at his natural openside berth and your newly discovered Mr Easter plays at his prefered number 8.

Good news for France - Wilko is out of the game. Flood starts and Geragthy makes the bench.

Tim Payne starts and old man Turner covers on the bench. I can only assume Ashton thinks the French will know Freshwater too well (he plays for Perpignan) as he is better than either of those and not injured either. The loss of Marconnet might not make any difference after all!

England team: J Lewsey (Wasps); D Strettle (Harlequins), M Tindall (Gloucester), M Catt (London Irish), J Robinson (Sale); T Flood (Newcastle), H Ellis (Leicester); T Payne (Wasps), G Chuter (Leicester), J White (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester), T Palmer (Wasps), J Worsley (Wasps), T Rees (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins).

Replacements: L Mears (Bath), S Turner (Sale), L Deacon (Leicester), M Lund (Sale), S Perry (Bristol), S Geraghty (London Irish), M Tait (Newcastle).

[finbar]

Why the lock to the bench? Either he's good enough or he's not. In fact, I didn't think he was the worst two weeks ago. And I can't believe - with great respect - that M. Corry is going to do any better in the role. Maybe C. Jack has an English great aunt tucked away somewhere. J. White should account for at least 18 of France's points. Halves are iffy. And M. Catt is a "talismanic figure", apparently. At least the back row looks more mobile, and I'll get to see N. Easter in action against decent oppo.

[Havak]

You already have!