[2014 Mid-Year Test] Australia vs France (2nd Test)

[welshglory]

What's the ticket sales looking like for this game?

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Big Ewis, that's probably the Herald Sun or The Age. Both more preoccupied with the latest AFL superstar caught hanging out with underworld kingpins or the Essendon AFL team drug scandal. Such is life in Melbourne!

They are advertising the game quite heavily now on social media, I'm guessing most of level 1 will be filled, most of level 2 will be filled with corporate hospitality ticket holders, and most of level 3 will be empty!

 

[Big Ewis]

Big Ewis, that's probably the Herald Sun or The Age. Both more preoccupied with the latest AFL superstar caught hanging out with underworld kingpins or the Essendon AFL team drug scandal. Such is life in Melbourne!

that's cool man, at least it's pretty funny. Guirrado on the wing

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

well i would pick Nyanga at 10 over Michalak btw atleast he isn't starting

 

[Big Ewis]

well i would pick Nyanga at 10 over Michalak btw atleast he isn't starting

hehe, we all would Scotty boy, we all would.



Are they implying he's going to rape them dry at the end ?! :lol:

 

[Darwin]

Right, I'm going to call it. France will win. Why? Because they are French. They are always unpredictable. Apart from with their unpredictability - they are very predictable with that......

 

[gaston le gaff]

Right, I'm going to call it. France will win. Why? Because they are French. They are always unpredictable. Apart from with their unpredictability - they are very predictable with that......

After an All Blacks surprise loss to the French in the 1999 Rugby World Cup: "The French are predictably unpredictable."

—Andrew Mehrtens​

 

[RoosTah]

Right, I'm going to call it. France will win. Why? Because they are French. They are always unpredictable. Apart from with their unpredictability - they are very predictable with that......

That and this is basically a completely different side make this a hard game to predict.

 

[Big Ewis]

I was just reading Planet Rugby's preview for this second test:
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_9347191,00.html

And one passage caught my attention:
"No doubt France will have a point to prove, and if there is one thing we've all learnt it's that you should never write the French off. But if things don't go the visitors' way early on, do these Bleus have the passion to fight to the end? I fear another crushing defeat could kill off this team's self belief for good."

Ever since Saint-André's come into office to start 2012, I, (like the whole world !) have been absolutely expecting a strong rebound from the side, given they were in a bad place. We did get the 2012 EOYT which was excellent-to very good, but let's call this an anomaly. From 2013 til now, we haven't really had that typical French revival, and this team seems very different from all the other French teams because of that. My point here is they may very well take another pounding here, which never would've happened before. There's something different about this PSA team for a French team, I don't think they have it in them to come out and shock the way every single other French side has at a certain point.

France were just totally under control during that 4-game win streak in 2012, pounding the Wallabies on every possible front, putting 40 past Argentina, containing the strongest Samoan side to date. This wasn't French ardor, it was just very well calculated strategies.
The best we've done since then has been a good game in Twickenham (that should've been a lot closer than the final score), a couple of fine tests in NZ and again a very good test at home against the same AB, and then the latest games against England and Ireland in Paris. But all 6 of those latter matches were just strong efforts, but had nothing to do with Frenchness, that ability to entirely transcend themselves and transgress all odds going against them. We were just intense and let our individual talents express themselves.
In short, I do think the French "magic" doesn't exist in this side, but do believe it'll return for sure after PSA. But he's just so empty of any sort of life or competence as a coach, he has absolutely nothing fulfilling to offer this current era French team.

Now don't get me wrong, they might make this one a close test. But it won't be in the fashion we've known France to do it. They'll have fine-tuned their defense, and couldn't possibly play worse on attack, and the scrum will be better (an empty-tank Mas on the bench).

I expect a much closer test, but France like I said just may not have it in them to be French and take this with Gallic ardor and utter defiance from the Wallabies. Too much confusion, not enough chemistry or clear references - and it sounds cliché and reductive but yes it is all down to the coach.

 

[Jaguares]

d'you guys see this ?! :lol:

View attachment 3005

A$shole Aussies...

Morgan Parra increased 30 kgs in 5 days and now is an openside flanker??? I think Bastareaud could be a tight head but what about Huget at hooker??? He needs a more bigger belly.



In defense of the Aussie newspaper, Rugby League's numerology is different to the Union. Their forwards wear high numbers like: 11, 12 or 13 and their backs use low numbers: 2, 3, 4...

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

Morgan Parra increased 30 kgs in 5 days and now is an openside flanker???



I think Bastareaud could be a tight head but what about Huget at hooker??? He needs a more bigger belly.

i heard that you are going to be a centre after your try against england last week

 

[Feicarsinn]

i heard that you are going to be a centre after your try against england last week

Your comment has been dongered! ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ
Another user liked your comment so much that they dongered it, giving you TRF dongers.
TRF dongers is TRF's premium dongership program. Here are the benefits:

• Extra site dongers
• Extra dongers
• Discuss and get help on the features and perks at www.dongerbenefits.com *Grab a drink and join us in www.dongerlounge.com, the super-secret dongers-only community that may or may not exist.

Did you know: Most dongersâ€"78 percent of the yearly dongers supplyâ€"is made into fedoras. Other industries, mostly electronics, medical, and dental, require about 12 percent. The remaining 10 percent of the yearly dongers supply is used in financial transactions.

 

[SelimNiai]

Your comment has been dongered! ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ
Another user liked your comment so much that they dongered it, giving you TRF dongers.
TRF dongers is TRF's premium dongership program. Here are the benefits:

• Extra site dongers
• Extra dongers
• Discuss and get help on the features and perks at www.dongerbenefits.com *Grab a drink and join us in www.dongerlounge.com, the super-secret dongers-only community that may or may not exist.

Did you know: Most dongers—78 percent of the yearly dongers supply—is made into fedoras. Other industries, mostly electronics, medical, and dental, require about 12 percent. The remaining 10 percent of the yearly dongers supply is used in financial transactions.

I think you've spent too long out in the sun

 

[Feicarsinn]

I think you've spent too long out in the sun

At least I'm not on balls.ie:

http://balls.ie/gaa/twitter-hurling-reaction/

 

[Jaguares]

i heard that you are going to be a centre after your try against england last week

???

 

[SelimNiai]

At least I'm not on balls.ie:

http://balls.ie/gaa/twitter-hurling-reaction/

Bucket list item #31

 

[Big Ewis]

In defense of the Aussie newspaper, Rugby League's numerology is different to the Union.

Wait...Rugby League has numerology ?!!....well uh, how does it work exactly ? Are all the players involved ? Do the players all have to be into esoteric stuff themselves ??..

 

[Jaguares]

Wooooooooollabies by 15-20 points

Wait...Rugby League has numerology ?!!....well uh, how does it work exactly ? Are all the players involved ? Do the players all have to be into esoteric stuff themselves ??..

In Rugby League the hooker is the number 9 and the locks are numbers 11 and 12.

Put the f**king lineups in the first message of your thread (NZ vs ENG). You've criticized my threads, but now my threads are more complete than yours.

 

[David Smith]

Right, I'm going to call it. France will win. Why? Because they are French. They are always unpredictable. Apart from with their unpredictability - they are very predictable with that......

Thank god. Don't worry this guy is terrible at tipping, he has been tipping against the Western force all season long. Has something against Australia in general, me thinks.

France-Unpredictable, we GET IT!!!. The wallabies put 50 points on them last week and your tipping France still because they are unpredictable.

 

[Darwin]

Thank god. Don't worry this guy is terrible at tipping, he has been tipping against the Western force all season long. Has something against Australia in general, me thinks.

France-Unpredictable, we GET IT!!!. The wallabies put 50 points on them last week and your tipping France still because they are unpredictable.

Lol. Yes you are correct: the only reason I tip against the Force is because I hate Australia. It is not as though I actually live in Australia or anything (and love the place!). I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact I think the Force will lose the matches (and often do - how did they go against the Crusaders and Stormers recently?). I suppose I could always adopt your approach of picking the Force to win every week then claiming there were biased refs whenever they lose :lol:

Regardless, I just get a feeling France will win this match. France are a much better side than they showed last weekend, and are most dangerous with their backs to the wall. I think Australia are obviously the stronger side, but it wouldn't surprise me if France win one of two remaining tests....