Rosbif says...

Thanks everyone for their comments. Always a pleasure to read these pages.

Wow! What intensity in those first 30 minutes!! Both sides really came to play. As others said, old Fra teams would have buckled at 3-13, especially with the apparent simplicity of the Pumas first try. Maybe it is worth saying also that old Pumas teams might have played 10 man rugby after leaking 3 tries so quickly. But they didn't. They kept playing with intelligence. Field position. Finding the weakness. Not making mistakes. They never let Fra get away on the scoreboard or feel comfortable in the game. Bravo to both teams and both sets of coaches!

Looking at Fra, I think we are begining to see the emergence of a game plan suited to the group. With two 9s in the team we can get width quickly, especially from turnovers and kick return. With two lightweight 7s we can link play or cover in defence and slow opposition ball. Meanwhile, 1-5 are able to "hit" opponents in tackles, either round the corner, or in midfield, to stop momentum early. We seem to (deliberately?) not find touch from kicks, and with few knock-ons we end up with very high "ball in play" statistics. It seems our two autumn opponents became tired or "ran out of ideas". Meanwhile, on attack, we have 8 and 13 to punch holes, and have been quick to capitalise on line breaks, with good offloads and tempo behind the defensive line. Finally, and maybe most importantly, the mentality and desire to work for each other is good. Everyone seems patient and confident the game plan works. So we don't give away pens.

But it can all change in one match. We never seem to play well vs PI teams. In the past we have fallen of tackles and given away yards at the gain line. One big final test awaits against Samoa. Let's hope the players are not reading their own press this week and continue to be humble.

:-)

Posted 12:39 18th November 2012

mlbp says...

@gauca

While I was watching the game I was thinking exactly that. How can you drop Ouedraogo or Nyanga and bring on Harinordoquy or Dusautoir? Can Buttin or Medard take Dulin's place?

I was positively surprised that France were able to front up with a pack that was a lot lighter than the monster packs that you see in other teams (900+ kilos, and the French "only" 845). Ouedraogo was a monster in the lineout and tackling and what can you say about Nyanga that hasn't been already said? Hari could bring on more driving and perhaps better work in defensive restarts (but that's Picamoles's job now). Dusautoir is the best tackler and defensively he has no match but he lacks Nyanga's pace and has no use in winning lineouts. France's backrows were always great with flying flankers like Magne and Cabannes and Nyanga is like them but even faster.

Michalak was superb in defence. Quade Cooper could well learn from him. How many tackles did he make? Trinh-Duc doesn't have his tactical nous but is more physical, maybe more a 12 than a 10, but he comes in handy when you need a fly half that can break the line in full speed (there are few that can do it as well as he does). I never liked Parra much, he tends to slow the tempo of the matches unless he's surrounded by a a bunch of fast players, but he never seems to up the tempo of the game on his own. Machenaud was outstanding, though he made a blunder early on when he failed to collect a high kick. I definitely can't see Parra as a 10. I'd prefer Trinh-Duc to him, but he can kick and Trinh-Duc can't.

What about the centre combination? Fritz kicks well and defends superbly. Mermoz had a cracking match. Fofana finds the gaps better than anybody else, I'd love to see a specialist winger as 14. The French seem to be spoilt for choice. Sport depends on the moment's spirits. France are in high spirits at the time. 6N favourites? You bet!

Posted 11:42 18th November 2012

J_Hdk says...

Amazing quality from France. Can't see any other team winning 6nations in 2013.

But ... First scrum at 37 minutes was solely due to referee ignoring numerous knock ons and forward passes throughout the game.

Posted 10:36 18th November 2012

gauca says...

@mlbp

As ever you are very insightful, you pretty such discussed everything I was going to post! The predetermined subs I do not understand. if you are winning and not otherwise struggling in any key aspect then why??

One interesting thing for us to debate is what this squad would look like with a few returning veterans in their too. I'm thinking Medard, Dusautoir, Harinordaquuy,

Fickou could be involved during the 6 nations etc etc etc just as the most obvious examples. Would the likes of Ouedraego or Dulin who have done well deserve to be overlooked or benched for the Medard's of this world?

Also what are peoples opinions of the 9/10 combo? Effective as it has been do we therefore need to keep both Parra and Trin-Duc on bench? I would say Parra can cover 9 and 10 so if not starting needs to be in squad as cover. TD I don't see as a more effective 10 than Michalak or even Parra so where does he fit in now if at all?

Long and short of it I am interested in seeing where people think we could strengthen a 23 thats proving to be successful? And who misses out when 'first choice' players return?

Posted 09:37 18th November 2012

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