Patagon says...

Congratulations to Les Bleus! Well played, lots of intensity.

A little disappointed because Pumas let in two tries in two minutes. Also lost too much possession by too much aimless kicking .. what for? Either they got too tired to run the ball or run out of ideas.

The positives: I am happy with Nicolas Sanchez kicking penalties, conversions and drop goals. In the recent past, we throw away crucial - and I mean crucial - chances in the RWC (against England) and RC Tournament because of that. So, I hope he keeps improving.

On the whole, Pumas didn't play a good test match. They lacked a cool head after those very intense first 20 minutes. Perhaps someone like Hernandez, a bit of a strategist at pivotal moments of the game, for better decision making. I thought we made bad decisions and lost out. I repeat, two tries in two minutes.

We have a lot to learn. As always, a very good effort by everyone, makes us so proud to see them play. Come on Pumas, keep a cool head (and full of oxygen), and warm feet!!!

France, still not the finished article but I am sure they will be. They should get the fourth spot in the draw for the WC 2015. Felicitations!

Posted 00:55 18th November 2012

porridge_time says...

France do look good and the only real threat from the NH.

Posted 23:39 17th November 2012

SACanuck says...

Great game. France two convincing wins in a row. That is not nomal, but if they keep playing like they have in the past two weeks, then look out SH teams

Posted 23:25 17th November 2012

mlbp says...

The battle of the back rows was won by France (thanks to their mobility and the French game plan of moving the ball wide and punching hard once they disorganized the defence) when I thought that Argentina would have the upper hand. I could see that the Argentines were a bit over worked at times and maybe tired after so many international matches. Some of the players remained anonymous (Imhoff, Senatore, Carizza...), though their start of the match was excellent. As their stamina wore out France was able to keep things going their way.

I suppose some of us predicted a dour match full of gristle up front and with such a soft turf and the rain you would have thought the game was going to be a clash of forwards with the backs tackling them when they broke loose, but it was the opposite. The first scrum was two minutes from half-time, something never seen before in a match between the French and the Pumas.

Argentina will learn a lot from these matches, though. Their future is bright, many of the players are young and they have great talent. Their commitment in defence is a marvel to behold.

Ireland will have to fight to the death to beat Argentina. I really can't see the Pumas losing against them. Will Albacete be available? He's an inspirational player and he was sorely missed against France. His clash with the Irish locks can be a classic.

We have to thank both France and Argentina for such a fantastic match. France may be back to their winning ways, and in style! They look like the in-form NH team at the moment.

Samoa will be another test of character. I wonder what PSA will do. Will he rotate the players and start testing new combinations? Samoa is a tough team and they must be on cloud nine after their win against Wales.

Toulousain, Gauca, Lacroix, Rosbif, I await your wise comments. Thanks to all contributors for teaching me so much about rugby.

Posted 23:13 17th November 2012

mlbp says...

Great win for France. They didn't crack under pressure after the first minutes of Argentinian domination on the scoreboard. Former French teams would have started to make silly mistakes and give away stupid penalties. This was a test of character and they passed it.

Any news on the Agulla injury? It certainly looked ugly. He lost control of his body after his hit with Mermoz. He looked like a puppet on his way down to the ground.

I always wonder what it is with coaches that they have to bring on all the subs during a game. Parra played well but was it necessary to substitute Machenaud? The same happened in the Italy game. It looks as if coaches have a plan no matter what goes on during the match. At a certain moment subs have to start coming onto the pitch in an endless carousel that stops momentum and in many cases has no impact. That's sad and dangerous for many players who've been giving their all for 70+ minutes and they have to come against fresh bodies eager to destroy. Something must be done about this. I wrote about it several times on these forums.

Back to the match: Nyanga must be the fastest player from nought to sixty... Such acceleration is a blessing for any team. Michalak was majestic, Machenaud speeds things up more than any other 9 I've seen playing for France, Mermoz missed a couple of tackles early but later he was excellent, Picamoles must be the player with best balance in the world (nobody can bring him down, though his choice in underwear deserves the villain-of-the-match award), the front rows played really well, but it is all a bit of a travesty, as they don't play full matches any more, Suta is a gem, Ouedraogo was excellent in the line outs and his last charge two minutes from the end of the match was unbelievable. Hats off to Clerc. Fritz is a monster in defence but the wingers outside him rarely see the ball. Dulin deserves a mention too!

Posted 22:57 17th November 2012

KnockOnKing says...

God I hope Agulla is not seriously injured. Some key fumbles by LP when they

were countering. Les Blues are impressive especially physically. Ouedraogo their

7 was amazing in the line outs.LPīs set pieces will have to be worked on before

the match with Ireland.

Posted 22:24 17th November 2012

miladiou says...

No villians!!! you are joking. The flying headbut by an Argentinian (think it was Figallo) into Pascale Pape face at the end of the first half was filthy. He has v deep cuts to his face as a result. Worth a citing and long ban.

Posted 22:23 17th November 2012

lacroix says...

fabulous game. of course i'm biased...but still

Posted 22:09 17th November 2012