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RBS 6 Nations - Wales vs France 17/03/2012 - 14:45

Interesting i do think France should have taken Fritz and Jauzion to the world cup though

You see , even our opponents are used to see us taking grand fathers :p...I really do not think we should have taken Fritz nor Jauzion at the RWC..I really think that Saint Andre should end the carrier of half of this team : Rougerie, Poitrenaud, Servat, Nallet, Harinordoquy, Dussautoir, Bonnaire, Mas...Or take some of them as substitute or impact player..but that is it. we have to start with freshness, stop to messing around same players who are all playing in 2 french clubs, who are playing 2 seasons in a row with a 3 weeks break, who are playing almost 45 matchs a years...At 30 years old or above, you can't cope with this obviously.
 
You see , even our opponents are used to see us taking grand fathers :p...I really do not think we should have taken Fritz nor Jauzion at the RWC..I really think that Saint Andre should end the carrier of half of this team : Rougerie, Poitrenaud, Servat, Nallet, Harinordoquy, Dussautoir, Bonnaire, Mas...Or take some of them as substitute or impact player..but that is it. we have to start with freshness, stop to messing around same players who are all playing in 2 french clubs, who are playing 2 seasons in a row with a 3 weeks break, who are playing almost 45 matchs a years...At 30 years old or above, you can't cope with this obviously.
Who would you bring in to replace those players, out of interest? Surely the back-rowers still have something to offer??
 
I don't think it's that much of a disaster. It's a one-off call up for the final game of the championship. Rougerie will move out to where he belongs on the wing to replace Clerc and Fofana will be in the centre with an actual midfielder who is experienced and knows what he's doing at international level. Fritz scored a good try on the weekend too, so it's not like he's past it or off form. Pretty decent call if you ask me.

I'm a bit negative after yesterday result I have to admit, But if you look at the french team, the youngest player is Fofana who is 24 and I do not recall a French player having under 24 years in the last 10 years...It is a real problem I think in France.

Who would you bring in to replace those players, out of interest? Surely the back-rowers still have something to offer??

Make Picamoles, Ouedrago, Lakafia as starters to prepare the future...and keep some old guys as substitutes. I do not say that they are not able to play but they are burned and it was obvious yesterday, Harinordoquy has spent his match with hand on the knees..even if he has done quite a good match overall...If dussautoir is doing an average match, it is all the team which is impacted...We should not be so dependent on these guyz...
 
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No Malzieu, no Clerc ?! And no Meddard of course...Goddamn...who the hell is going to score our tries ?!...
 
No Malzieu, no Clerc ?! And no Meddard of course...Goddamn...who the hell is going to score our tries ?!...

Clerc is injured and I think putting malzieu out is not understandable. anyway, I'm a good supporter of Saint Andre but seems like being the french coach is like taking a shot of drugs and flying a bit too high.....Really hope that things will change in the future.
 
Why are people talking about Fritz like he's an old man...he's 28...sort of prime age for a centre really. (or near enough to it).
 
It could get worse for the French if these three aren't fit as there are injury doubts over Thierry Dusautoir (knee), Imanol Harinordoquy (knee) and Julien Bonnaire (elbow).
 
Fritz is very solid, I've always rated him... would be more worried about him in the centres with Fofana than Rougerie.
 
I'm going to have that horrible feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach before the start of this game. The feeling that only strikes before exams, world-cup semi finals and grand slam deciders.
 
I'm going to have that horrible feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach before the start of this game. The feeling that only strikes before exams, world-cup semi finals and grand slam deciders.
I hear you, brother.
 
Fritz's call-up is kind of a crowd pleaser, everybody in France was asking for him to play (except Barthelemy, it seems). He's been the best 13 in the Top 14 for two years now, and the one who got the call-up for the 30-man squad at the beginning of the tournament was... his reserve in Toulouse, Yann David.

Fritz is a consistent performer that had a very bad june tour a couple of year aho, which cost him never to be calle dup again by ML. He surely deserves a chance. 28 is not that old (Servat started to be world class not long ago, when he was hitting 30). Bastareaud is not playing well, and David is not nearly as good as Fritz.

I'm glad for Buttin too, but I don't see how the backline is going to be formed... I don't see Fritz and Rougerie playing together, so PSA will have to figure something out.

For the rest of the players, I think it's way too soon to say Mas is too old. He's the most important player for France, IMO. After him, there's a huge void. Ric should start to be called up, and Attoub to be given more minutes. at LHP, we're still waiting for Domingo and Barcella to recover. At hooker, there are many french players who perform consistently in the Top 14 for years... yet we've never seen them in blue. Locks seems complicated... to the point that PSA recalled Julien Pierre! The backrow has the only problem that whoever comes will be compared to one of the most consistent backrows of international rugby in the last years. Lakafia, Picamoles, Nyanga, Ouedraogo, Lapandry, maybe Lauret or Gallan can do the job, but we'll have to wait and see. For the moment, PSA needs to try players!
 
This is going to be an awful week for me.
Better get some high quality sleeping pills and wake up Sunday.
 
Fritz's call-up is kind of a crowd pleaser, everybody in France was asking for him to play (except Barthelemy, it seems). He's been the best 13 in the Top 14 for two years now, and the one who got the call-up for the 30-man squad at the beginning of the tournament was... his reserve in Toulouse, Yann David.

Fritz is a consistent performer that had a very bad june tour a couple of year aho, which cost him never to be calle dup again by ML. He surely deserves a chance. 28 is not that old (Servat started to be world class not long ago, when he was hitting 30). Bastareaud is not playing well, and David is not nearly as good as Fritz.

I'm glad for Buttin too, but I don't see how the backline is going to be formed... I don't see Fritz and Rougerie playing together, so PSA will have to figure something out.

For the rest of the players, I think it's way too soon to say Mas is too old. He's the most important player for France, IMO. After him, there's a huge void. Ric should start to be called up, and Attoub to be given more minutes. at LHP, we're still waiting for Domingo and Barcella to recover. At hooker, there are many french players who perform consistently in the Top 14 for years... yet we've never seen them in blue. Locks seems complicated... to the point that PSA recalled Julien Pierre! The backrow has the only problem that whoever comes will be compared to one of the most consistent backrows of international rugby in the last years. Lakafia, Picamoles, Nyanga, Ouedraogo, Lapandry, maybe Lauret or Gallan can do the job, but we'll have to wait and see. For the moment, PSA needs to try players!

Fritz has never been great in the french team. I agree with your last sentence and Taking fritz is certainly not trying players, it is just pleasing the Fritz supporters. It is just wasted time in my honest opinion as Fritz won't make it to the next world cup (or it is very sad for the french rugby if we do not find better and younger than him..). Anyway, you illustrate IMO the problem in france, we do not see youth, we do not want to take 2-3 years to really rebuilt a team from scratch...On va continuer a faire avec des pansements et ca va finir exactement pareil qu'avant.

Firtz is good do not get me wrong but I do not see currently any valid reason to take him onboard, even more as Saint Andre has quite big work to do for the future

Why are people talking about Fritz like he's an old man...he's 28...sort of prime age for a centre really. (or near enough to it).

Forgot that the Irish are like the frenchies, they like old men in their back line :p Honestly, Fritz has never been convincing in the french team, not my fault...Mermoz has played 15 minutes in 4 matches and he is out of the team, it is just unbelievable how messy this selection is...
 
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I will quote my theorem about France, that has proven me right countless times : France is good in 2 situations :
_ when winning will be considered an exploit
_ when they've played badly the game before *

When both these conditions are met, the odds of France winning are even greater of course. And that will be the case on Saturday.

According to this, we should give Wales a very hard time. Since i do rate Wales very highly this year, I'll just say there's a 50-50 chance of us winning.

Conclusion : place a bet on France spoiling the party in Cardiff, the odds will be underestimated by the bookies.

NB. * that is why we're seen as a very inconsistent team. It's not so much that we can play very badly right after a good performance. It is that we're able to raise above our level dramatically if the context is right. In fact, statistics show that we've been one of the most consistent teams in the 6Ns and WCs.
This seems a little odd to Anglo-Saxon minds, for whom the context shouln't be a part of the equation, and it has allowed us some famous upsets. As opposed to this, Anglo-Saxon "pragmatism", like scoring 80 points to Romania in a friendly game, will never be achievable by a french team.

NB2. And sometimes this stupid latin mindset makes us lose against (a very respectable) Italy.
 
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I'm going to have that horrible feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach before the start of this game. The feeling that only strikes before exams, world-cup semi finals and grand slam deciders.

I have that now, either that or its last nights takeaway
 
I will quote my theorem about France, that has proven me right countless times : France is good in 2 situations :
_ when winning will be considered an exploit
_ when they've played badly the game before *

When both these conditions are met, the odds of France winning are even greater of course. And that will be the case on Saturday.

According to this, we should give Wales a very hard time. Since i do rate Wales very highly this year, I'll just say there's a 50-50 chance of us winning.

Conclusion : place a bet on France spoiling the party in Cardiff, the odds will be underestimated by the bookies.

NB. * that is why we're seen as a very inconsistent team. It's not so much that we can play very badly right after a good performance. It is that we're able to raise above our level dramatically if the context is right. In fact, statistics show that we've been one of the most consistent teams in the 6Ns and WCs.
This seems a little odd to Anglo-Saxon minds, for whom the context shouln't be a part of the equation, and it has allowed us some famous upsets. As opposed to this, Anglo-Saxon "pragmatism", like scoring 80 points to Romania in a friendly game, will never be achievable by a french team.

NB2. And sometimes this stupid latin mindset makes us lose against (a very respectable) Italy.
Fortunately, we're not Anglo or Saxon... ;)
 
Quick Question : Cymru means Wales in Welsh ? thx

Is it a gaelic language ?
 
Fortunately, we're not Anglo or Saxon... ;)

uhhh ohh !!!....RACIAL DEBATE, YEAHH !!! hahaha...:p

I will quote my theorem about France, that has proven me right countless times : France is good in 2 situations :
_ when winning will be considered an exploit
_ when they've played badly the game before *

When both these conditions are met, the odds of France winning are even greater of course. And that will be the case on Saturday.

According to this, we should give Wales a very hard time. Since i do rate Wales very highly this year, I'll just say there's a 50-50 chance of us winning.

Conclusion : place a bet on France spoiling the party in Cardiff, the odds will be underestimated by the bookies.

NB. * that is why we're seen as a very inconsistent team. It's not so much that we can play very badly right after a good performance. It is that we're able to raise above our level dramatically if the context is right. In fact, statistics show that we've been one of the most consistent teams in the 6Ns and WCs.
This seems a little odd to Anglo-Saxon minds, for whom the context shouln't be a part of the equation, and it has allowed us some famous upsets. As opposed to this, Anglo-Saxon "pragmatism", like scoring 80 points to Romania in a friendly game, will never be achievable by a french team.

NB2. And sometimes this stupid latin mindset makes us lose against (a very respectable) Italy.

Intéressant....uhm, I mean...interesting...
What you say is historically accurate. I totally agree, and honestly you've given me some good answers in there...makes a lot of sense.
But we do have key players out...I bet for France to win, but Clerc out Malzieu out and Médard out are really not too..."convincing".
 
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