[2015 RWC] Quarter Final 2: New Zealand vs. France (17/10/2015)

[merlinux]

Sad day for french supporters well done to the All Blacks.
Hopefully we will be born again, start anew, focus on being competitive in the next 6 nations. It is a long long way to the next world cup....
Im now hopping for a wallabies -All Blacks final.

 

[nickdnz]

Sad day for french supporters well done to the All Blacks.
Hopefully we will be born again, start anew, focus on being competitive in the next 6 nations. It is a long long way to the next world cup....
Im now hopping for a wallabies -All Blacks final.

Not to say this won't hurt - but in some ways it's probably a positive. It means when Noves takes over he has a lot to work with in terms of improvements - and he is probably in a very good position to judge where the current crop of players will fit into that system.

 

[gaston le gaff]

After reading the last 10 pages or so i will say that France were drummed out of this WC by a far superior AB's, but then most in France were waiting for this to happen.
I work with journos all the time and 95% were actually hoping for a hammering as everyone bar very few wanted PSA out of the door with no commendations no glory just plain on yer bike boy you are rubbbish. He has been in charge for 4 very long and unfruitfiul years now its over!!!!!!!!!
Noves takes over but there has to be a massive reorganisation in the FFR before things begin to change, hence Bernie Laprte going for the presidency, if this happens all well and good. The talent is there is France but realistic choices have to be made, out goes Pape, Dusatoir, Michalak ,Bastafatboy, etc etc and start building with genuine good players and only then will France then be able to take on the greater rugby countries. There are many different and urgent changes to be made , i have my douts whether they will all happen but one can only hope. The only good thing out of this is we get all or most of our players back at Montpellier bar the Du Plessis bros and the TOP 14 is back on track and i personally prefere that to International rugby but am at the heart of it so i would say that.
Congrats to the AB's you deserve your semi place, now the going gets a lot tougher and it is now you have to prove that the AB's are the best, there showing last night was over powering, but no one expected anything less from a badly selected French team, South Africa and Australia will be muchy worthier oppenents.

 

[Dirty Ape]

Can McCaw really call himself a forward if that punch was enough to keep him on the floor for ages afterwards?

[video=youtube_share;PtQ4xRGz4F0]http://youtu.be/PtQ4xRGz4F0[/video]

Care to reassess?

 

[otapouri]

Easy when you have ghosts in front of you...Can't stand all the "puking" about players being so great when the other side was obviously out of their game...

Here is a team that might drop one game a year and all the northern hemisphere ***** some which have never beaten the AB's can't see a top performance when they see one

 

[JJFlash]

I only hope that Guy Noves isn't taking on a poisoned chalice. Structural reorganistion is essential if he is to have a hope of bringing French rugby back to where it belongs.
If Laporte has something to bring, all well and good.
And Serge Blanco? Goodbye!
Noves without doubt knows already the players he wants for the forthcoming 6 Nations but even that will be too early to judge him, although the journalists' knives will already be sharpened if the French XV doesn't perform.

 

[Kiwi_]

Here is a team that might drop one game a year and all the northern hemisphere ***** some which have never beaten the AB's can't see a top performance when they see one

Sickening isn't it.

 

[PAC]

If PSA's team ever showed some greatness, we would call it "a Berezina" in reference to Napoleon's army retreat from Russia.
But his 4 years reign was a shamble. It looks rather like " a cherry on the cake" but on a disgusting cake.

Noves has now a big flat surface to rebuild on.
But on a longer term, if we want to be again a major Rugby nation the FFR needs to change its politics. And if they do, it 'll take a decade to bear its fruits.

But our internal problems should not take anything away from a great performance from the ABs. Well done to them !

 

[donmcdazzle]

[video=youtube_share;PtQ4xRGz4F0]http://youtu.be/PtQ4xRGz4F0[/video]

Care to reassess?

how dare McCaw head but this knee like that. What a cynical dirty thug he is. Should be cited and banned for the semi.

 

[RyotoTheDragon]

how dare McCaw head but this knee like that. What a cynical dirty thug he is. Should be cited and banned for the semi.

Didnt see the knee when watching the game. Pretty silly and shameful really cause Picamoles is a good player. Oh well, add him to the long list of players that have tried stuff on Richie. The list adds fuel to his greatness haha.

 

[The Jones Boy]

France were awful and i really felt for the French fans who were filled with passion. Their management team has really let them down.
A French team playing without French passion is unforgivable.
They are a management team away from being excellent again.
Last night was an aberration.

 

[Kiwi_]

France were awful and i really felt for the French fans who were filled with passion. Their management team has really let them down.
A French team playing without French passion is unforgivable.
They are a management team away from being excellent again.
Last night was an aberration.

Gee, sounds like you didn't even enjoy the game..

 

[The Jones Boy]

It was a VERY one sided affair where the French didn't really show up.

 

[Kiwi_]

It was a VERY one sided affair where the French didn't really show up.

It was bloody awesome, loved every minute of it.

 

[The Jones Boy]

It was bloody awesome, loved every minute of it.

So did I and the French in the stadium grew very quiet after a while and they booed heartily when PSA came outdoor the post match interview.
I wonder if Michalak was truly injured or if he saw the writing on the wall and subbed himself off after what 12 ? minutes.
The AB's were fired up after all the nonsense paper talk about the AB's not firing and looking average etc.
Aussie did a job on England, the Boks did a job on Samoa and Scotland but this was a quarter final knockout match and the AB's took it up the roof with their intensity and although they still made a few mistakes they were right on top of their game and they looked the most dangerous team of the tournament.
This crown is still ours and we want to keep it.
Aussie have the easy run on the other side of the draw and they will be looking over their shoulders now...
The Boks will feel the telescopic sights coming into range on them now and after a lack lustre arm wrestle with Wales now they face the Auld Enemy and this AB team is fizzing at the bung.

 

[Kiwi_]

Any word on Skuds? Never manages to quite make it 80 minutes, similar to his Hurricane season.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Looked like they wanted Barrett on at full back to give him game time.
Skud looked wonderful in the first half, he scored just in front of us and made some killer tackles on giant Frenchmen.

 

[nickdnz]

Any word on Skuds? Never manages to quite make it 80 minutes, similar to his Hurricane season.

To be fair I think that is partly a precaution - while maybe the coaches still feel he is less of a loss than Smith or Savea but still want to use the bench

 

[Kiwi_]

Yeah for sure, love the guy, I think in the tighter games keeping him on might be a good idea, he creates so much out of nothing.

 

[Mumbles119]

Here is a team that might drop one game a year and all the northern hemisphere ***** some which have never beaten the AB's can't see a top performance when they see one

Don't know what others have said to you. But from a northern hemisphere person as myself; I was inspired and loved the incredible show of clinical talent the ABs put on last night.