2014 Six Nations: France vs England (Round 1)

[Peat]

People are also forgetting that barritt has less experience at 13 than Burrell so that doesn't really help bringing him on. Yes his defensive game at 12 is good but someone will be playing out of position at 13!

Barritt's played 13 on the international stage at least twice. Didn't look out of position at all. If Burrell goes agley, then Barritt will be able to do a job there.

Or for Twelvetrees, who did miss that shocker in the Australia game...

 

[Maverick1987]

Barritt's played 13 on the international stage at least twice. Didn't look out of position at all. If Burrell goes agley, then Barritt will be able to do a job there.

Or for Twelvetrees, who did miss that shocker in the Australia game...

Barritt plays plenty of 13 for sarries too . So won't be out of position at all

 

[Crapspray]

Barritt played 13 against Scotland last year... England's best attacking match of the tournament by far. Amazing what happens when a 13 is told to pass, rather than crash everything.

 

[Thingimubob]

Barritt played 13 against Scotland last year... England's best attacking match of the tournament by far. Amazing what happens when a 13 is told to pass, rather than crash everything.

I dunno, I can't help but think 36 played a bigger role in England acually being creative in midfield.

 

[Crapspray]

Yes. The point was that Barritt didn't blunt England's attack. I was also highlighting England's waste, or abuse, of Tuilagi. When they finally had to play without him they did something other than send Manu up the gut.

I just hope they don't try and do the same with Burrell, because he's not as big. Also it's a waste of his passing game. They made the same mistake with Tomkins in the autumn.

 

[Big Ewis]

Barritt played 13 against Scotland last year... England's best attacking match of the tournament by far. Amazing what happens when a 13 is told to pass, rather than crash everything.

yeah, they actually scored a try that match !!

 

[Peat]

Dunno about that. I remember him drifting laterally along with the defence before finally passing to Mike Brown once he had defenders instead of space ahead of him. Repeatedly.

The Scotland game mainly went well because they were so abysmal at the breakdown we got ball on a platter. Not sure I'd read too much into it.

 

[Maverick1987]

yeah, they actually scored a try that match !!

Since the six nations has started in 2000 England have been top try scorers 7 times . Stick that in your garlic crusher and smoke it

 

[Big Ewis]

Since the six nations has started in 2000 England have been top try scorers 7 times . Stick that in your garlic crusher and smoke it

yes and France up til the pro era had pure French Flair; we can go back in history if you want but I didn't know we were playing that game, you show off ! man, that was sooo English !!....

Anyways was returning to this thread to post this:

Top 10 tries occurring in the "crunch":

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1939282-10-greatest-tries-in-france-vs-england-history

 

[French TommyGun]

Stick that in your garlic crusher and smoke it

hahaha never heard that one before!

 

[French TommyGun]

6Nations under 20s France 21-15 England!
Goo'on lil'frenchies lead the way!!

 

[French TommyGun]

Today's the day! I'm sooo excited!! we're gona win I can feel it in my bones! I think at the end it will come down who wants it more! Who's the hungriest!.... and we're F**king Starving!! Allez les bleus!!!!

 

[gaston le gaff]

French under 20's, France Federale, France Universities, and France girlies under 20's all wins only the girls in Grenoble tonight and the other little affair in Paris and its white wash time for Les Rosbifs.

 

[Maverick1987]

yes and France up til the pro era had pure French Flair; we can go back in history if you want but I didn't know we were playing that game, you show off ! man, that was sooo English !!....

Anyways was returning to this thread to post this:

Top 10 tries occurring in the "crunch":

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1939282-10-greatest-tries-in-france-vs-england-history

Ok so to keep my run over you ,since France entered the home nations England have score 200 tries and France have scored 175 so you point is fairly invalid and mislead

 

[Big Ewis]

Ok so to keep my run over you ,since France entered the home nations England have score 200 tries and France have scored 175 so you point is fairly invalid and mislead

:lol: aaaaaalright alright !!!!!!

About tonight:
I'm worried it will be raining during the whole 80'...it not only favors the English, it'll completely hinder the one thing that needed to manifest: do our guys have better chemistry now with the two weeks training, on attack more particularly ? are our backs going to show good progress from 2013 in that sector ? I really hope this isn't going to be a forward dog fight exclusively. I mean yeah 'crunches' are won up front yadi yada but wtf I don't want to watch a 9-6 victory, either way.
Plus the scrums are often inaccurate when it rains. Bad grip, shhitty pitch, slipping...I wanna see optimal level Marler-Hartley-Cole vs optimal level Domingo-Kayser-Mas.

So, reaaaaaaaaally hoping it doesn't rain and both teams can demonstrate their game and competitiveness wholly.

I can't wait either !!! It's cool too that we'll start the afternoon with Wales Italy. Gets us nice and ready for 6N action with a tasty appetizer and the seat will be warmed for the main dish, the "plat de résistance".


EDIT: I think also, last chance for Patrice Lagisquet (backs coach). He's had all the time in the world to work out good schemes and combinations with the XV de France. He himself a winger during the 80's for France, still part of the Golden age of French Flair, perhaps yet another example of *good player, bad coach*. For God's sake, with the back-lines we have, we better look at least sharp on attack. NO EXCUSES at this point. If we don't, I think we need to look for a 'real' technician.

 

[j'nuh]

I'm worried it will be raining during the whole 80'...it not only favors the English

I don't think it does. This is the most attack-minded England side that has been put out in years, would hate for the rain to fall now. Also, we may get battered in the scrum. We could do without one happening every 5 minutes.

 

[Crapspray]

Isn't the scrum being a little over-egged? Yeah if the conditions are terrible it will hurt England quite a bit, but last year it was hardly complete dominance by the French. More an edge; which went away after 55-60 minutes. Nothing like the Wales game or Ireland in 2012.

Marler's a better scrummager now, Vunipola too, there's big number 8 at the base, a proper blindside, and Hartley's a bigger hooker.

The only concern for me is tighthead- i.e. Cole putting in an 80-minute shift*. Bar Thomas there's plenty of impact on the bench. (Hopefully with Attwood behind him Thomas's weakness will be assuaged a little.)

*Speaking of which, what are the odds that Wilson will start against Ireland? Lord knows Cole could do with the time off, and the gap between them is not as big as last year. 20 minutes of rugby in three weeks and eight days rest might boost his form.

 

[ratsapprentice]

If Dan Cole get's injured we are more than likely ****ed... Thomas is liable to be that bad.

 

[Crapspray]

Hopefully Rowntree will work his prop magic and make it so he's only pulverised, not minced.

But apart from that, as I said, it's by no means a guaranteed a French advantage.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

*Speaking of which, what are the odds that Wilson will start against Ireland? Lord knows Cole could do with the time off, and the gap between them is not as big as last year. 20 minutes of rugby in three weeks and eight days rest might boost his form.

I'd like to see that, but I get the impression that Lancaster/Rowntree don't really rate Wilson, which is nuts. They always seem really reluctant to use him.
His injury won't count towards him, either.