French selection for Australian June tour

[erwanseb]

France will send a B(C?) team to Australia as no players involved in the Top 14 playoff will go down to south.

As it stands in the top 14, Toulouse, Clermont, Perpignan, Stade Francais are likely to be qualified.
In the event of the fourth place going to Perpignan, the french team would be :

Barcella/Bruno/Milloud (Sub: Faure, Brugnaut)
Nallet/Jacquet (sub : Mela,Thion)
Picamoles/Oudreaogo/Diarra (sub Chabal, Harinodorquy)
scrum half Parra (Yachvili)
flyhalf Trinh Duc (sub Boyet)
Centers: Traille/ David (sub Mazars, Cabannes)
Wings: Thierry/Bidabe (sub Marlu)
FullBack: Brusque (sub Peyras)

For the first time in years, the Oz may dominate the scrum !!!!!!!

That would be a nice battle between the third row.
Contrary to last year, when the french C team was slaughtered in New Zealand, I would give a small chance to this team as most of the players have now seen international action.

Oz to win the serie 2-0

 

[mickywicky]

Yep, it's like SA/Oz/NZ touring during a Super14 tournament... not looking good.
I'll still cheer for them though
What happened to this agreement that the touring sides should bring their strongest teams on tour???

 

[An Tarbh]

Yep, it's like SA/Oz/NZ touring during a Super14 tournament... not looking good.
I'll still cheer for them though
What happened to this agreement that the touring sides should bring their strongest teams on tour???
[/b]

I think there was the small matter of the world cup getting in the way for starters and delaying the start of the French season.

 

[mickywicky]

<div class='quotemain'>
Yep, it's like SA/Oz/NZ touring during a Super14 tournament... not looking good.
I'll still cheer for them though
What happened to this agreement that the touring sides should bring their strongest teams on tour???
[/b]

I think there was the small matter of the world cup getting in the way for starters and delaying the start of the French season.
[/b][/quote]

Ja, no, I meant wasn't that explicitly stated *after* the world cup??
My bad, might have been confused.

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotemain'>
<div class='quotemain'>
Yep, it's like SA/Oz/NZ touring during a Super14 tournament... not looking good.
I'll still cheer for them though
What happened to this agreement that the touring sides should bring their strongest teams on tour???
[/b]

I think there was the small matter of the world cup getting in the way for starters and delaying the start of the French season.
[/b][/quote]

Ja, no, I meant wasn't that explicitly stated *after* the world cup??
My bad, might have been confused.
[/b][/quote]

I don't know what was or was not stated after the world cup but given the circumstances it was pretty much a given that any Summer tour would be undertaken without players from the Top 4 sides, I just couldn't see the club presidents allowing players to tour during the playoffs and given how the clubs accommodated the world cup it would be a slap in the face to them to do otherwise.

 

[Stillknox]

France will send a B(C?) team to Australia as no players involved in the Top 14 playoff will go down to south.

As it stands in the top 14, Toulouse, Clermont, Perpignan, Stade Francais are likely to be qualified.
In the event of the fourth place going to Perpignan, the french team would be :

Barcella/Bruno/Milloud (Sub: Faure, Brugnaut)
Nallet/Jacquet (sub : Mela,Thion)
Picamoles/Oudreaogo/Diarra (sub Chabal, Harinodorquy)
scrum half Parra (Yachvili)
flyhalf Trinh Duc (sub Boyet)
Centers: Traille/ David (sub Mazars, Cabannes)
Wings: Thierry/Bidabe (sub Marlu)
FullBack: Brusque (sub Peyras)

For the first time in years, the Oz may dominate the scrum !!!!!!!

That would be a nice battle between the third row.
Contrary to last year, when the french C team was slaughtered in New Zealand, I would give a small chance to this team as most of the players have now seen international action.

Oz to win the serie 2-0 [/b]

Marlu, Bidabe, Brusque ?... mmmh, don't think so. Lievremont will put some youngsters instead of them, they're burned at international level I think. Maybe guys like Julien Larrahague or Elhorga can have a last chance but not those three.

It may look like that to me :

Barcella - Milloud - Faure
Keyser - Bruno
Nallet - Pierre - Mela - Thion
Oudreaogo - Diarra - Harinordoquy
Picamoles - CHABAL !!
Parra - Yachvili or Thomas
Trinh-Duc - Boyet
Traille - David - Mignardi - Cabannes
Peyras - Coux - Brana
Thierry or Desnos

Presence of captain Nallet and some experienced guys from Biarritz will save us from a disaster like last year against the AB's, but let's be realistic, two defeat by +15 are predictable.

 

[Charles]

Parra and David are selected for the U20 World Cup in Wales...

 

[erwanseb]

Marlu, Bidabe, Brusque ?... mmmh, don't think so. Lievremont will put some youngsters instead of them, they're burned at international level I think. Maybe guys like Julien Larrahague or Elhorga can have a last chance but not those three.

It may look like that to me :

Barcella - Milloud - Faure
Keyser - Bruno
Nallet - Pierre - Mela - Thion
Oudreaogo - Diarra - Harinordoquy
Picamoles - CHABAL !!
Parra - Yachvili or Thomas
Trinh-Duc - Boyet
Traille - David - Mignardi - Cabannes
Peyras - Coux - Brana
Thierry or Desnos

Presence of captain Nallet and some experienced guys from Biarritz will save us from a disaster like last year against the AB's, but let's be realistic, two defeat by +15 are predictable.
[/b]

Despite being transfered to Clermont next season, Mignardi has played a whole season in pro D2. unlikely to be able to cope with the pace. Next year maybe.

Having Marlu Brusque and Bidabe provides a Biarritz backbone, that's the only advantage I see of having them all. Marlu has never really been blacklisted, his horrendous injuries prevented him from having a great international carreer. A few years ago, he was the best finisher of the top 16.

 

[Charles]

Fair enough for Marlu, but Bidabé is crap though.

 

[erwanseb]

Parra and David are selected for the U20 World Cup in Wales...
[/b]

Oops , forgot this one.

Parra has two possible replacements (Yachvili and Thomas) but not David.

The list of possible international centres involved in the top 14 sf or inured is quite long
Jauzion, Fritz, Poitrenaud, Bousses, Messina, Marty , Baby , Grandclaude, Bastareaud, Liebenberg,....

 

[O'Rothlain]

They better select Chabal. I see no reason why they wouldn't, couldn't, shouldn't.

 

[Charles]

Lievremont said he'll probably select him, but maybe as a lock though.

 

[erwanseb]

Lievremont said he'll probably select him, but maybe as a lock though.
[/b]

There are plenty of locks (Nallet, Mela, Thion), he will play in the backrow

 

[Charles]

<div class='quotemain'>
Lievremont said he'll probably select him, but maybe as a lock though.
[/b]

There are plenty of locks (Nallet, Mela, Thion), he will play in the backrow [/b][/quote]

I hope too. Let's give him a real chance, play him at 8 in the two tests, so we can finally judge him fairly. He's allegedly doin' great at Sale, the coach must just adjust the gameplan so he fits in. Plus we need a big ball carrier as our loosies are mainly lightweight tackling/running type.

 

[Stillknox]

I agree about Jimmy Marlu, he was a great winger but this year he played only two games with Biarritz (and scored a try) but he wasn't even on the bench most of the time. Now he's 31 years old and with the likes of Clerc, Heymans, Rougerie, Malzieu and maybe Medard or Saubade in the future it's definitively over for him. Same fate as Garbajosa... except the fact that he had the chance of playing a great world cup campaign in 1999.

In centre, if David's not there... maybe Yoann Audrin from Montauban ? He's doing a good season and Paris and Toulouse were looking for him lately.

I love Chabal but I don't see a future for him with Lievremont. He can be deadly in a team like Sale, but the new coaches will prefer someone more skilful and mobile like Vermeulen or Picamoles. At lock... why not ?

 

[erwanseb]

No Milloud, Lievremeont is going to be short on prop, and Califano retired.

 

[erwanseb]

The official list with 12 uncapped players !!!!!

Forwards (14): Faure (Sale), Kayser (Leicester), Bruno (Sale), Correia (Albi), Boyoud (Dax), Lecouls (Biarritz), Couzinet (Biarritz), Nallet (Castres), Chabal (Sale), Ma. Lièvremont (Dax), Caballero (Montauban), Picamoles (Montpellier), Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Harinordoquy (Biarritz).

Backs (12): Yachvili (Biarritz), Tillous-Borde (Castres), Boyet (Bourgoin), Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Mermoz (Toulouse), Lacroix (Albi), Traille (Biarritz), Palisson (Brive), Thiéry (Biarritz), Elhorga (Bayonne), Peyras (Bayonne), Janin (Bourgoin).

 

[BLR]

Is Sale the Arsenal of the English Rugby Premiership or something? Look at all the Frenchies..

 

[elgringoborracho]

WTF is that team? Please aussies excuse us for sending you a Z team this summer...

 

[DonBilly]

WTF is that team? Please aussies excuse us for sending you a Z team this summer... [/b]

These test matchs overlap with the Top14 SF and Final... So the best four clubs won't release their players for these Test matchs. It would be nonsense to weaken the team when they eventually compete for the Brennus.