yep, as I've said before France won this match based on fitness. The English defenders are spent on that last Fickou try. I've made a distinction between *STAMINA* and then bulk/mass.
I gave the 2010 Aus example as just one time where we weren't nearly up to par with other nations.
i know and i said technique is more important than bulk in my experience. But you've never played the game so you wouldn't know 
But there's no denying other nations work harder, again, like England, Australia...and the gym culture is more intense. Man just look at Tom Wood, look at Marler in one year's change, look at Robshaw.
Marler did not enjoy his evening in the scrum
their backrow has nothing
they look bulky, so what? spend more time in the gym, you'll start to like yourself more :lol:
Of course we can compete in scrums being lighter, but we waste a lot more energy doing that. Remember the match against the Boks in November ? The guys even said before the match, Lauret in particular I recall, we'll contest a bit in the rucks but it's silly to waste too much energy in there, they're too huge, so we'll just get back into the defensive line. And that's exactly what we did.
FrenchFan, you who constantly implicitly hints at being so divinely knowledgeable about this sport, surely you can grasp the notion that 110 even 120kg loosies and huge locks are going to have *some kind* of an impact at the breakdown that we just cannot deny physiologically speaking with 95kg/100kg specimens ? When Alberts comes in to clear out his rucks, there's NO WAY we can keep grip and turn the ball over. They shove us out of the way, we're sent back 3meters. And this happens over and over again.
I know i got your point. You're starting to waffle now
Then, the Saffa mauls are virtually unstoppable. They used them against every great nation, even got scores against NZ off them. When we tried a maul against them, we'd go backwards ! We don't have the mass, technique is great, but this is just too much and what do you do when they've got mass AND technique ? They even had an edge in the scrum. They bullied most of the game, and it's only because we've got such individual quality that we managed to survive and "only" lose by 9.
We're happy we've got the brutal Picamoles.....they've got 3 of those in front.
no problem we'll get more safie imports like Le Roux (who had an excellent game) and Classens. Problem solved.
They said "flair won over muscle" when we beat England last Saturday. Yeah, we won by a couple of points at the last second. Imagine if we'd lost it, even by a single point. Imagine they get a penalty in the last 3min, win by a point.
NOBODY would even mention flair, and everybody would be saying how we were subjected to wave after wave of white jerseys from min.30' to min.70'. And you wouldn't be talking about how technique is efficient too, you'd be saying "ahhh we lost at the breakdown, they out-muscled us, we need more couillus, more couillus !!"
