RWC Quarter Final: England - France (08-10-2011, 20:30)

[Bull]

I just have this feeling that the French will win this game.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

England team will probably be announced on Thursday

 

[Jockstap]

Why do the French announce their teams far before everybody else?

 

[B.Zieber]

[FONT=&quot]
No war cry for France and frankly if they don't react in a proudly way, England will prevail rather easily. [/FONT]

 

[JW.]

Why do the French announce their teams far before everybody else?

Lievremont likes to give us the time to discuss his insane choices? Otherwise Idunno.

 

[abczyx]

http://samhopwood.blogspot.com/2011/10/dominant-england-on-course-for-world.html

Excellent analysis there.

 

[madflyhalf]

http://samhopwood.blogspot.com/2011/10/dominant-england-on-course-for-world.html

Excellent analysis there.

ahahaha

no.




(Are you sarcastic?)

 

[ZeFrenchy]

I think that if ML played TD at 10, he would be admitting he was wrong, which he is incapable of doing.

The only thing that gives me hope for this match is that France seems to play its best when no-one expects anything good.

 

[Jockstap]

[FONT=&amp]
No war cry for France and frankly if they don't react in a proudly way, England will prevail rather easily. [/FONT]

I completely agree and understand this statement.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Wilkinson is back in "light training" and Tindall is yet to train
I reckon Flood and Hape will start, Wilko on the bench and Tindall will miss the match

 

[Saintjay]

The team is to be announced in the early hours Thursday morning. BBC has a decent article on the selection issues facing Jono. The stats from the Scotland game are grim reading.

It states in the article that Wilkinson and Tindall have yet to break the gain line in any game. Flood has, and he has better kicking stats then Wilkinson and about the same tackle ratio.

So yep I want to see Hape and Flood start, but I bet we get Wilkinson and Tindall if fit. So we have the cutting edge of a spoon and will kick the French into submission. The game plan should be to keep the ball away from a semi-decent French pack and give it to these two, oh dear

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Nah I'm pretty sure Flood will start. About Tindall I'm less sure, but I think Hape will feature. I would be fully behind such a selection - Flood, Hape and Tuilagi. Or Wilkinson to 12? That may not be his position but at least we'd have a 12 with good distribution.

My impossible and unrealistic team for France would be:

1) Corbisiero
2) Thompson
3) Cole
4) Deacon
5) Palmer
6) Croft(captain)
7) Wood
8) Haskell
9) Youngs
10) Flood
11) Cueto
12) Hape
13) Tuilagi
14) Ashton
15) Foden

16) Stevens
17) Hartley
18) Lawes
19) Waldrom
20) Wigglesworth
21) Wilkinson
22) Banahan

Obviously we all know that good old Martin would never exclude both Tindall and Moody from the match-day 22, and to be fair maybe he's right. The bench becomes a complicated issue once you realise that Easter/waldrom don't offer very versatile cover so I am expecting this team instead:

1) Corbs
2) Thompson
3) Cole
4) Deacon
5) Palmer
6) Croft
7) Moody
8) Easter
9) Youngs
10) Flood
11) Cueto
12) Hape
13) Tuilagi
14) Ashton
15) Foden

16) Stevens
17) Hartley
18) Lawes
19) Haskell
20) Wigglesworth
21) wilkinson
22) Banahan

Re disciplinary problems, I'm really disappointed that the broadsheet press have followed where the tabloids have lead them.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Good God no

Wilkinson was crap at 12 in 05 and when he was on decent form at 10 - imagine what he'd do now he's on poor form at 10

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Good God no

Wilkinson was crap at 12 in 05 and when he was on decent form at 10 - imagine what he'd do now he's on poor form at 10

Alas...then let us sit upon the carpet and tell sad stories.

I wouldnt say wilkinson at 12 is a good option by any means, but I don't think Mj just endlessly switching between some combo of hape/tindall/tuilagi is ever going to be the way forward. The ideal scenario would be for Banahan to get injured and MJ to call up a proper 12. Barritt? Erm....Allen? Twelvetrees?

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

ORRR...Wilkinson gets ruled out through injury, Hodgson called up, then we could have 10) Hodgson 12) Flood 13) Tuilagi

 

[psychic duck]

I wonder whether in hindsight Anthony Allen would have wished he was never selected for England against New Zealand back in 2006, that has tarnished his career and since then he hasn't been thought of as a serious contender for an England place despite going back to club rugby and re emerging a couple of years later a much improved player, who kept Aaron Mauger out of the Leicester team

for some reason when Anthony Allen came into the team young and played poorly, he was discarded as simply not good enough for international rugby

yet when Mathew Tait came into the side young and had poor start, he was seen as a young player who needs a chance and has lots of potential and will improve

I wonder whether it's because Mathew Tait looked younger when he came into the side? whilst Allen looked more mid twenties

yet players like Banahan, Turner-Hall, Hape, Hipkiss all seem to be far ahead of him in terms of the pecking order which I think is a bit harsh

 

[JW.]

Good God no

Wilkinson was crap at 12 in 05 and when he was on decent form at 10 - imagine what he'd do now he's on poor form at 10

What England should have tried is playing Flood at IC more often, we have all seen how good Wilko was with Cat outside of him and we have all seen how good he was this season with a distributing IC outside of him at Toulon. That IMO would offer more than either Flood/Tindal or Wilko/Tindal can.

 

[Peat]

Tbh, it has more to do with playing for Gloucester, which seems to have invisibily tainted his career.

That's a joke btw, but Glaws have produced a lot of great players who've got nowhere near the level of international recognition they deserve.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I wonder whether in hindsight Anthony Allen would have wished he was never selected for England against New Zealand back in 2006, that has tarnished his career and since then he hasn't been thought of as a serious contender for an England place despite going back to club rugby and re emerging a couple of years later a much improved player, who kept Aaron Mauger out of the Leicester team

for some reason when Anthony Allen came into the team young and played poorly, he was discarded as simply not good enough for international rugby

yet when Mathew Tait came into the side young and had poor start, he was seen as a young player who needs a chance and has lots of potential and will improve

I wonder whether it's because Mathew Tait looked younger when he came into the side? whilst Allen looked more mid twenties

yet players like Banahan, Turner-Hall, Hape, Hipkiss all seem to be far ahead of him in terms of the pecking order which I think is a bit harsh

I agree with this - Allen is tainted, in the RFUs eyes, by one poor performance when he was barely out of nappies
He was one of, if not the, form English centre of last season, yet is overlooked completely


Tait put in a few good showings as a 19/20 year old, it's as he matured he got worse - a combination of not fitting the gameplan style (coming from a 7s background and having to play kickchase all day) and being told to bulk up a massive amount by the England management

 

[Me 1]

French team announced http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/15162947.stm
France: M Medard, V Clerc, A Rougerie, M Mermoz, A Palisson, M Parra, D Yachvili; JB Poux, W Servat, N Mas, P Pape, L Nallet, T Dusautoir (capt), J Bonnaire, I Harinordoquy. Replacements: D Szarzewski, F Barcella, J Pierre, L Picamoles, F Trinh-Duc, D Marty, C Heymans.

I'm surprised at this, I thought Rougerie and Mas were injured with Dusautoir a major doubt. Don't understand Parra still at fly-half tbh