IF you guys don't win by more than 15 points you will be laughed at..
It's not even going to be a second french team...Unfortunately..
You have a plethora of big nasty bastards peppered with some spicy play makers. If you can keep the stupid penalties to a minimum and not get sucked into 60 minutes of kicking, you might just unhinge the stats-driven English sarcophagus and ask some hard questions of coaches that think tennis is an appropriate substitute for rugby.
Based on recent performances, who are the spicy play makers?
OK. Let's lower the bar: People that can pass the ball while running.
Scrumhead wrote:It’s strange and disappointing. Considering how much improvement we’ve seen from the French, I’m susrprised they didn’t take the opportunity to save their first XV for a potential final. They must have had a reasonable inkling it would happen and that they’d be facing us. Surely that should have been seen as an opportunity to make a statement as in ‘you might have won the 6N, but we are the better team’.
Galthie has said that he wanted maximum training time in camp in a single block for his first choice players. They’re still looking to build their first choice 23 as a priority. I think their attitude is that the trophies will come later.
As distinct from 'we must bolt any development on to a winning habit' you mean? That would be different!
Scrumhead wrote:It’s strange and disappointing. Considering how much improvement we’ve seen from the French, I’m susrprised they didn’t take the opportunity to save their first XV for a potential final. They must have had a reasonable inkling it would happen and that they’d be facing us. Surely that should have been seen as an opportunity to make a statement as in ‘you might have won the 6N, but we are the better team’.
Galthie has said that he wanted maximum training time in camp in a single block for his first choice players. They’re still looking to build their first choice 23 as a priority. I think their attitude is that the trophies will come later.
As distinct from 'we must bolt any development on to a winning habit' you mean? That would be different!
As in, we have an impossible situation where our best players can only feature in 3 out of 6 games, how on earth do we come out of this with a nett positive.
They obviously would have played their first choice team in at least 4 games by choice, with probably some rotation against Fiji and Italy.
Timbo wrote:
Galthie has said that he wanted maximum training time in camp in a single block for his first choice players. They’re still looking to build their first choice 23 as a priority. I think their attitude is that the trophies will come later.
As distinct from 'we must bolt any development on to a winning habit' you mean? That would be different!
As in, we have an impossible situation where our best players can only feature in 3 out of 6 games, how on earth do we come out of this with a nett positive.
They obviously would have played their first choice team in at least 4 games by choice, with probably some rotation against Fiji and Italy.
Fair enough but somebody must have cocked-up, surely? How can a competition have credibility when one of the participating teams gets to the final but is so stymied by other commitments that it cannot field a 1st XV?
I quite like 5p's suggestion that we field a XV from outside our squad but, the ridiculous scenario then is that the TV companies would probably demand a refund from us. Thank f-ck we are out of the EU! It will (hopefully) no longer be one rule for France and a different one for everyone else. And, I say that with the conviction still hovering that the only way out of the kicking crap that the game has descended into is if a lively French side destroys us.
You have a plethora of big nasty bastards peppered with some spicy play makers. If you can keep the stupid penalties to a minimum and not get sucked into 60 minutes of kicking, you might just unhinge the stats-driven English sarcophagus and ask some hard questions of coaches that think tennis is an appropriate substitute for rugby.
Based on recent performances, who are the spicy play makers?
OK. Let's lower the bar: People that can pass the ball while running.
Oh we have players that can do that. We just don't let them do it anymore.
Woki and Macalou are a frighteningly skilful back up pair of flankers for France to call upon. Against Italy the former had a good all court game and the latter whilst only given one real chance to show his attacking prowess and gas, did make it count with an eleventh hour try - this guy’s got the gifts of Itoje and Croft combined!
Last edited by jngf on Mon Nov 30, 2020 8:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
TheNomad wrote:Glad Barbeary is there. He looks a hooker to me though rather than a 6
And, if he is going to be a hooker going forwards, having a few training sessions learning off George and being given some one-to-one by Proudfoot is not going to hurt him one iota.
Just noticed that there's no Dunn in the squad - suggests that Eddie agrees with you. Hope LCD doesn't go down with something!
Once the three game rule was in place, France were on a bit of a hiding to nothing. They still had a chance of winning the 6N so the warm up and Ireland games were priorities.
They then had one match with the first choice tea. Show up at Murray field, where they lost last time out, or save it for a final that might not happen
TheNomad wrote:Glad Barbeary is there. He looks a hooker to me though rather than a 6
And, if he is going to be a hooker going forwards, having a few training sessions learning off George and being given some one-to-one by Proudfoot is not going to hurt him one iota.
Just noticed that there's no Dunn in the squad - suggests that Eddie agrees with you. Hope LCD doesn't go down with something!
Puja
If LCD goes down with something we'll learn a lot about Barbeary's ability to play hooker and at test level in his two minute cameo off the bench at the end of the game.
I'm not worried about this fixture at all (I've seen people say it's a "farce"). France have crazy depth they can put out a great team. I'm excited for some real crowd noise (even if it's just a couple of thousand people).
