[2020 Six Nations] Wales vs France (22/02/20)

[CAB]

View attachment 8088

Excellent ! lol

 

[Not Eddie Jones]

Honestly, I wish England to win over ireland, not because I love my best and oldest "enemy", but because I like when the 6N is passionating and entertaining like this year... when France was only the ghost of herself, there was a true big miss.
With an english win oiver Ireland, 3 teams can still win the tournament ! and the last game in Paris would be incredibly interesting and passionating... BUT we're not even there, and France could well loose to Scotland !

I remember France and England being THE rivalry of the Five/Six Nations. For years, they seemed to contest it between them, with other teams lucky to win a single ***le. Good times!

 

[bushytop]

@bushytop being called a Pommy is the highest honour he's ever received.

Can't believe you actually read my autobiography

 

[martinspoonboy1]

Coulda, Woulda, Shouda. You Lost

You do know he's not English or Welsh right??

Thanks.Still tamping from experienced players fooking it up though when facing 14 men with a pen right in front of the post at half time.Unforgivable.France are better but in no way could be considered anything like great.

I agree. Genuinely think Scotland will beat them at Murrayfield.

 

[Which Tyler]

I remember France and England being THE rivalry of the Five/Six Nations.

It still is, even if other teams as getting ***les, Le Crunch is still the most important match of the year..
Equally, Aus is the biggest SH rival, even if they're the weakest of the 3.

 

[WORLDCUP FINAL 2011]

Were you watching a different game?

small things against you but the referee

 

[dullonien]

Your point about Leinster is particularly noteworthy - unlike Saracens or Toulon, they have had overwhelmingly homegrown players and yet have achieved levels of success that the four teams from the country where rugby is putatively the national sport could only dream about.

Is it? Dublin is a city of 1m+ (not far off the total population on the entirety of South Wales where all 4 Welsh regions draw their supporters from). Couple that with a lack of competition from other pro sport entities, a schools system in the province which produces a conveyor belt of talent, and a relatively wealthy demographic. I'm not at all surprised by their success.

Rugby is arguably Wales' national sport, but potential supporter numbers are quite low. Cardiff Blues have the largest catchment at roughly 360k, but there's a premier/championship football side competing for punters and a very large historical migrant population who probably don't care at all for rugby. Much of the old rugby heartlands in the valleys have been alienated, but they're also considered some of the most deprived in Europe. Finding the money to pay the going rate to attend regional rugby would be difficult for many. By going rate I mean the rate that is charged in Ireland and England where rugby is by and large a middle class sport.

The regions are still underperforming though. Even when we go back to the galacticos era at the Ospreys when they had a squad to rival the best, poor coaching let them down massively. A decent coach would have conquered europe with that squad imo, especially as they were equally as powerful up front as they were electric behind.

The best thing for Regional rugby would be to reduce down to 3 sides, maybe then 1 or 2 could potentially compete. However this would harm team Wales which would be far from ideal.

This is getting quite far off topic now though, so apologies.

 

[Tooting Carmen]

- Irish rugby has to compete with Gaelic sports, and although Irish domestic football is a sick joke, the English and Scottish clubs do have a big following there too.

- Cardiff's ethnic composition is middle-of-the-range for the UK (15-20% non-white), while the Valleys surrounding them are still very White. Based on that argument, clubs in London and Leicester shouldn't be attracting much support whatsoever!

The rest of your post makes a lot more sense.

 

[Not Eddie Jones]

It still is, even if other teams as getting ***les, Le Crunch is still the most important match of the year..
Equally, Aus is the biggest SH rival, even if they're the weakest of the 3.

Totally agree. I've always considered France and Oz our two greatest rivals.

 

[Desi75]

Feeling very sorry and concerned for George North. I'm only realizing now the extent of the issue. We all have a stake in this, obviously, it is totally beyond boundaries.
Is that.. something we can talk about ? Or are we supposed to mind our own businesses and clean the family laundry behind closed doors ?
Feeling sincerely very uncomfortable with it all.

 

[CAB]

View attachment 8088

Excellent ! lol

It still is, even if other teams as getting ***les, Le Crunch is still the most important match of the year..
Equally, Aus is the biggest SH rival, even if they're the weakest of the 3.

Agree there... I remember that even a poor french side has denied few 6N ***les to English... with unexpected wins in the last decade. French prefer to loose to pacific isles Italy, canada or even Luxemburg than loosing to England nothing (for French) is as good as a victory over England !

 

[duncanb]

Excellent ! lol


Agree there... I remember that even a poor french side has denied few 6N ***les to English... with unexpected wins in the last decade. French prefer to loose to pacific isles Italy, canada or even Luxemburg than loosing to England nothing (for French) is as good as a victory over England !

You still have a Waterloo hangover Lol.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

In this day and age it's extraordinary that we question a tier 1 team's fitness. But fitness is the easiest thing to fix.

France has always had the talent. Nice to see it again. And with a French coach to boot.

 

[CAB]

Excellent ! lol


Agree there... I remember that even a poor french side has denied few 6N ***les to English... with unexpected wins in the last decade.

You still have a Waterloo hangover Lol.

In fact no, cause Waterloo was a prussian victory I was more referring to 1066 Hastings, hundred years war, US Independence war (Cheasepeake bay and yorktown) etc...

 

[CAB]

In this day and age it's extraordinary that we question a tier 1 team's fitness. But fitness is the easiest thing to fix.

France has always had the talent. Nice to see it again. And with a French coach to boot.

It's less fitness than shape... French international players do more match than any other international... they are more tired then. Let's have a look on french internationals : 25 to 32 match in top 14, European cup, 7-9 match, june and autumn internationals 4 to 6 match, 6N : 5 match. that means 46 to 56 match for the best ones... ABs or any SH : less than 35, other europeans top nations : less than 40 ... there's no doubt that if you play 15 to 25 % more match, then you can loose more energy a year... and especially in France, Club vs national squad has always been a problem... in SH, all is done for national squad. If you also take in count that French (and other latins Argentina and Italy) has always more problems with anglo-speaking referees due to the bareer of the language (I don't even speak about the usual cliché of the cheaters and violent French)... it's then a miracle that french can win match, they need to be at 150 % to win... French has been obliged to have results over Boks to enter the 4N-->5N, when 4 northern original countries had problems to win Boks or NZ... despite a decade of poor french side, France is still one of the 2 best ratio of NH against SH ... and France is the one to have beaten SH there, in their home... To obtain some credits, French have been asked far more by other NH... I don't even know if Wales has beaten NZ a day, wales, which has something like 40 ***les in the tournament... Italy and Argentina have received French support to obtain credits, it was then faster for them...

 

[Tooting Carmen]

Je suis d'accord que les arbitres doivent apprendre le francais et l'espagnol afin de communiquer mieux. Estoy de acuerdo de que los arbitros deban aprender el frances y el espanol para comunicar mejor.

 

[CAB]

Je suis d'accord que les arbitres doivent apprendre le francais et l'espagnol afin de communiquer mieux. Estoy de acuerdo de que los arbitros deban aprender el frances y el espanol para comunicar mejor.

Anglo-speaking don't usually understand that point, the fact the referee speak english, players who speak english understand him, it's a GREAT advantage... Yes, french professional players received english lessons, but put this : it's different to speak english with your teacher, than on the pitch, with your heart racing at 140-180 pulsations/min, when a Nzer or an aussie, a scottish or even an irish ref speak a strange english for french... it's not natural for us to speak english. add the conditions : weather, wind, temperature.... add now the french, Pumas, azzuris culture : for us, a welsh, a scott and an english are all British, subject of the same Queen... "whatever we will do" mentality (paranoiac, I concede) etc...

 

[Tooting Carmen]

Anglo-speaking don't usually understand that point, the fact the referee speak english, players who speak english understand him, it's a GREAT advantage... Yes, french professional players received english lessons, but put this : it's different to speak english with your teacher, than on the pitch, with your heart racing at 140-180 pulsations/min, when a Nzer or an aussie, a scottish or even an irish ref speak a strange english for french... it's not natural for us to speak english. add the conditions : weather, wind, temperature.... add now the french, Pumas, azzuris culture : for us, a welsh, a scott and an english are all British, subject of the same Queen... "whatever we will do" mentality (paranoiac, I concede) etc...

Je comprend parfaitement mon ami. Je deteste l'imperialisme de la langue anglaise aussi.

 

[Dai Yorkshire]

I probably went too far, but I'm certainly not seeing it as all doom and gloom. Some fine margins in that game, including one ridiculous referee decision to award France their final 3 points, not that I'm blaming the ref for the loss, thought he was OK on the whole given his inexperience.

It'a just that I saw a bunch of 50/50's that today went Frances way. Not referee ones, but things like the intercept, the knock on in the tackle, even that last turnover which could have been viewed as in from the side. The intercept was a 14 point swing alone, so I can easily see an alternative outcome where Wales win that game comfortably.

I partly agree with some of what you say, we must give Pivac some time, its not his fault players drop the ball, over run the ball carrier, or give penalties away there where a couple of contentious calls from the ref, but that happens in all games. if you've played rugby you know that some times things go against you and there is nothing you can do about it,This was just one of those games. Lots to do for sure but, lets be a little patient,

 

[Dai Yorkshire]

You're now coming over as a Biggar class of whinger. Wales were out played pure and simple and only a couple of contentious decisions I don't agree with made Wales look better than they were

a first class troll who watched it seems a different game