France - World Cup 2015 Discussion Thread

[FrenchFan]

Agree with all of it, while our pack was efficient in every aspect of the game at SdF, our backline continues to be as boring and conservative as ever, its input (eg. Huget's try, Bastareaud's runs) are only due to the individual quality of our backs, not to any sort of playing scheme of tactics. Lagisquet is the man to blame.

Some of it is due to not working out the right combos and sticking with the wrong ones. The centre pair of Bastareaud-Fofana has never worked. They're not complementary at all. Everyone knows that in T14. They're not known as 'coffre à ballon' for nothing! Pairing them is just daft.

Toulouse also has a majorily French backline: Bezy/Doussain - Flood - Mcallister / Fickou - Fritz/David - Bonneval/Clerc - Medard/Poitrenaud - Huget. That two non-French players out of 12 rotational players.

yes I know. Where are all those foreigners pushing out our guys? btw those 3 clubs that's no more
than 20-30% big ****ing deal. McAllister has been fizzling out for the last 3 seasons. If he doesn't step up the new staff will push him out. I'm not sure what Flood is doing here what he sees in the team that's for him.

Truth is that PSA (or Lagisquet) is afraid of afraid of talent, afraid of players who could bring some flair and inventivity to our backline.

That staff is the most anally conservative ever. They're scared of player power. They're afraid of losing control like Lievremont did in 2011. That's why they brought in Blanco. They're going to get the FFr Don to rein in the kids... The staff are stuck in their rugby time warp of the 80s. They're amateurs school-mastering professionals.
That's why there's no leaders emerging in the team. Nobody wants to stick their neck out for fear of going home. So they'll just go thru the motion of whatever game plan is shoved down their throat.
I don't see any leaders this time. All good rugby teams need strong leaders. In 2011 they had Servat Rougerie Bonnaire Harinordochi Traille Yachvili (that basque trio couldnt stand Lievremont). Theyall stepped up and told Lievremont where to stick it.

That is why a spineless Yes-man like Tales (who claimed not to care about being cut from the squad), is the ideal Saint-Andre player.

I have nothing against Tales who is a solid league player. His decision making is actually quite good. He is sloow. He is OK versus Tier 2 sides. Not tier 1.
I think Lopez would have been an able 2nd choice for the 10 jersey. His left boot and playing style gave the staff a good alternative. Nothing exceptional but solid enough. He had a great season with his club but the game plan with les bleus didn't suit him. He was made play too deep all the time.
What they did to that kid, shaft him just to get back at his club is just so below the belt. These people have no shame. They cowered off in front of his club and backstabbed the kid over a RWC. What goes around comes around...

 

[Chistera]

Some of it is due to not working out the right combos and sticking with the wrong ones. The centre pair of Bastareaud-Fofana has never worked. They're not complementary at all. Everyone knows that in T14. They're not known as 'coffre à ballon' for nothing! Pairing them is just daft.

Well we're stuck with them now. At least they seem to be an efficient defensive duo..

yes I know. Where are all those foreigners pushing out our guys? btw those 3 clubs that's no more
than 20-30% big ****ing deal. McAllister has been fizzling out for the last 3 seasons. If he doesn't step up the new staff will push him out. I'm not sure what Flood is doing here what he sees in the team that's for him.

Agreed. Three top teams (Racing too now with Sexton gone and Tales and Nyanga in) whose squads are mainly French and who've been known to rely heavily of their formation setup, that goes against the idea of the Top 14 being a championship dominated by legions of foreign 'mercenaries'. The Top 14 cannot be PSA's excuse.

[/U]That staff is the most anally conservative ever. They're scared of player power. They're afraid of losing control like Lievremont did in 2011. That's why they brought in Blanco. They're going to get the FFr Don to rein in the kids... The staff are stuck in their rugby time warp of the 80s. They're amateurs school-mastering professionals.
That's why there's no leaders emerging in the team. Nobody wants to stick their neck out for fear of going home. So they'll just go thru the motion of whatever game plan is shoved down their throat.
I don't see any leaders this time. All good rugby teams need strong leaders. In 2011 they had Servat Rougerie Bonnaire Harinordochi Traille Yachvili (that basque trio couldnt stand Lievremont). Theyall stepped up and told Lievremont where to stick it.

Nobody says anything because they don't want to get cut because they "can't get along with the group" (Mermoz). They know that PSA and Lagisquet will be gone after the WC, so why bother speaking out against them? We have a couple of potential leaders, Parra, Pape, Picamoles, don't know whether they'll step up during the competition.

I have nothing against Tales who is a solid league player. His decision making is actually quite good. He is sloow. He is OK versus Tier 2 sides. Not tier 1.
I think Lopez would have been an able 2nd choice for the 10 jersey. His left boot and playing style gave the staff a good alternative. Nothing exceptional but solid enough. He had a great season with his club but the game plan with les bleus didn't suit him. He was made play too deep all the time.
What they did to that kid, shaft him just to get back at his club is just so below the belt. These people have no shame. They cowered off in front of his club and backstabbed the kid over a RWC. What goes around comes around...

I'm not that acquainted to rugby politics but it's sure that PSA has let personal issues come in the way of sportive decisions only too often. Cutting Lopez was an absurd decision which didn't get enough press because of Trinh-Duc and Michalak's comebacks. He was a solid performer, even if paling in comparison to his club-form with Clermont. With a good boot and an inventive style he could have been an ideal 2nd n.10, coming off the bench to secure a result or try to catch up to the opponent.

Water under the bridge anyway. This coaching staff has given us enough to ramble against them for hours. We're sure that they're going to be gone now and with the WC squad being definite we ought to see how best we could perform with the players and personnel in place.

 

[FrenchFan]

Well we're stuck with them now. At least they seem to be an efficient defensive duo..

They are good defenders because they are good individually on the man. They're not complimentary the rest of the time. Most backrows have nothing on Bastareaud at the breakdown. He's been transformed at Toulon . When he left Stade Francais he was poor defensively, he'd just manage to barge into the guys and shoulder them his tackling was not good. In last 2 seasons he's been hitting some big turnovers many backrows would be proud of.
Fofana has impressive taclking stats at Clermont, and in attack his line break stats are very high as well. He needs to be paired with a distributor he wont get that with Bastareaud.

Nobody says anything because they don't want to get cut because they "can't get along with the group" (Mermoz).

Mermoz consistent omission is as odd as the rest. He should be in there as a second centre ahead of Dumoulin. On experience and form he is streets ahead. Dumoulin has an interesting profile but he doesn't have the form yet. He needs more time.

They know that PSA and Lagisquet will be gone after the WC, so why bother speaking out against them? We have a couple of potential leaders, Parra, Pape, Picamoles, don't know whether they'll step up during the competition.

Picamoles is not a leader IMO. Not at Toulouse anyway. Dusautoir is only as good a captain as the leaders around him. He doesn't have them now. They were around in 2011. But this time who are they? There's not many willing to step up. This has been a feature of the last 4 yrs. They're not committed enough to risk sticking out their neck with the staff placing players on an ejection seat if they step out of line.

I'm not that acquainted to rugby politics but it's sure that PSA has let personal issues come in the way of sportive decisions only too often. Cutting Lopez was an absurd decision which didn't get enough press because of Trinh-Duc and Michalak's comebacks. He was a solid performer, even if paling in comparison to his club-form with Clermont. With a good boot and an inventive style he could have been an ideal 2nd n.10, coming off the bench to secure a result or try to catch up to the opponent.

Did he make a comeback? didn't know that. Looks like I missed it?! )

Water under the bridge anyway. This coaching staff has given us enough to ramble against them for hours.

They ramble a lot more than we do and they're getting paid for it!

We're sure that they're going to be gone now and with the WC squad being definite we ought to see how best we could perform with the players and personnel in place.

I agree. But have they figured that out for themsleves and the team? I don't think so.
With the half-backs they've picked, it'll be slow a day at the office every time. Both Tales and Michalak are in their 30s and they are slow. So is STB who is used playing behind a dominant pack. They have 3 slow players with relatively slow delivery. It's too much of the same. There's absolutely no balance and they're going to run out of options very quickly.

 

[Chistera]

Parisse's, out for the first game, that makes for 3 relatively easy games before Ireland, hope that we use this opportunity develop a more expansive and attcking playing style, especially against the likes of Canada and Romania.

 

[Chistera]

Huget out and Grosso in. A bummer to lose our most in-from back, by far. I'd give Dulin a go, ahead of Grosso, on the wing against Romania, a weak opposition should let him get used to the position. He's too talented to sit on the bench, simply.

 

[gaston le gaff]

why put a fullback on the wing when you have 2 good wingers????? we all saw Dulin last performance on the wing, Grosso is worth his place and would do a better job than Dulin