Yeah I swear I've seen FTD as replacement full back in the past for some stupid reason! Whiles we're on the subject, why has he not been the obvious number 10 choice for France over the last few years?? He is genuinely the best choice isn't he?! Is there something I'm missing here?
- He was weirdly used during his first ever RWC (2011). Lievremont started him for like a couple of games and then switched him to the bench for 9-Yachvili 10-Parra...
- Six Nations, 2012: he starts against Italy, Scotland, Ireland but then comes off the bench in the crunch with Beauxis taking his place in the starting XV. He comes in later and misses that notorious drop goal...on the bench again with Beauxis starting in Cardiff, Wales wins their GS...
- June-November 2012: France goes to Argentina. First test with TD starting we lost, 2nd test we smash them with Fred Michalak authoring a fantastic all-around performance (notably one of his trademark cross-field kick passes for Huget I think for the score). He's just made his return from South Africa and shines. Saint-André keeps him for the November Tours. He looks like the best 10 in the world during that Tour, does everything perfectly. France has an excellent 3-match series, 4th straight wins in a row. FTD is on the bench for all 3 tests.
- Six Nations and June Tour, 2013: Michalak's woes start. The awful tournament happens...FTD only starts for the crunch that tournament (and in retrospect we played a good first half that day until the second unit, Michalak included, came on). Meanwhile Talès and Camille Lopez are making some noise, and Talès fits Saint-André conservative style well. Tall, strong, sound on defense...etc...
Trinh-Duc is about a fourth choice at that point with Talès a newly French champ with his famous 2 drop goals in the Final against Toulon, Lopez with his formidable season in Bordeaux - notably the match they tore Toulon apart, here's a 2min highlight reel for refreshed memory:
So Tales and Lopez seen as the up-and-coming fresh new faces for France and Michalak, and the fact that everybody was waiting for him to find his 2012 form back...
It's interesting now because at 10:
- Michalak is out of form and "needs more playing time in his club" justified Saint-André.
- Lopez has been out since the Middle Ages, well since that one game in NZ, June 2013.
- Talès and his impending bicep injury down again.
- Plisson who's been on fire with the best Top 14 team there is, a pure product of the Parisian franchise. Just as attack-minded as FTD, just the way we like em in France. But just 22, no caps.....
- FTD: 48 caps already, and one hell of a season in MP.
- Doussain: initially trained as a 10, but played 9 his whole career with Toulouse...more of a utility guy.
The main criticism that FTD has been given this whole time has been:
- dubious penalty kicking
- not sound enough on defense
- not great with his boot in-game
- inconsistent
And honestly I've personally seen him change quite a bit of that.
Right now, he's one bright, hard-working, enthusiastic, 1m84, 85kg, 27 year old. He's said himself he feels like a young kid being capped for the first time all over again. I'm sure he'll do a good job at learning the schemes, even though he's got just a week...
Maybe this is a turning point, and our fly-halves for the RWC will be FTD+Plisson. I'd like that in theory, but first they've got some proving to do.
