England v France

[TRF_Cymro]

Venue: Twickenham
Date: Saturday 26th February 2011
Kick Off: 5:00pm GMT​

 

[Seaton]

Is this the championship deciding match in anyone else's view?

The fact that it is at home is the deciding factor for me

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Maybe not the decider for the championship but definitely a match that takes the 5th team out on the race for a Grand Slam

 

[Teh Mite]

England almost always do a number on France regardless of form. However, the French are usually favourites.

England this time are favourites.

France will likely squeak the win.

 

[WetAndCold]

England almost always do a number on France regardless of form. However, the French are usually favourites.

England this time are favourites.

France will likely squeak the win.

+1

 

[Logorrhea]

Bollix. You guys must have been giggling your ass of yesterday. France were woeful but they got away with it. They will be just as bad in this game but you will clean them out.

I watched the English Italy game looking for a reason to dislike the English, or discredit their win but aside from Ashtons poncing about (Heaslip does the same so I cant complain), and a consistent outhalf sized gap in the Italian defense, its hard to find anything to be negative about. That was the dominant England of old. Excellent running lines through the 10 channel and they scored for fun.

England should win by 10-15 points.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Its the old saying of what French side turns up, England are on fire at the mo so its hard not to see them winning, saying that the French ... well are the French and they do play some rugby from time to time. Livermont needs to swap Traille from the center because he was god damn awful there yesterday.

 

[Teh Mite]

Against the English midfield, Jouzions offloading is what the French want anyway.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Against the English midfield, Jouzions offloading is what the French want anyway.

True but does Livermont see it that way?

 

[Teh Mite]

With my biased hat on: Hopefully not, but to spite us...

Bollix. You guys must have been giggling your ass of yesterday. France were woeful but they got away with it. They will be just as bad in this game but you will clean them out.

I watched the English Italy game looking for a reason to dislike the English, or discredit their win but aside from Ashtons poncing about (Heaslip does the same so I cant complain), and a consistent outhalf sized gap in the Italian defense, its hard to find anything to be negative about. That was the dominant England of old. Excellent running lines through the 10 channel and they scored for fun.

England should win by 10-15 points.

Oh you Irish, so amateur at your pessimism.

 

[Mr.cyclopede]

The fact that it is at home is the deciding factor for me

The place still an advantage of course, but England are so clearly a level up that they would be also in the same favorite position in Stade de France.
A defeat by less than 10 pts would be a correct result, a great one if by less than 5...

 

[WetAndCold]

lol,
I base my pessimism on the fact that France usualy play a good game followed by a bad game. I.e

BAD - Lost to Australia badly

GOOD - Beat Scotland and played the best rugby of the weekend

BAD - Didn't play very well against Ireland (not up to the standard of the Scotland game)

So I predict the next 2 games:

GOOD - Beat England...

BAD - Will have a bad game against Italy winning marginaly

I hope the bad France turn up though...

 

[no-1-rugby-fan]

I think this is the game that will decide the Grand Slam/Championship. Both teams are playing really good rugby at the moment and have been the strongest thus far. England are favourite for me with home advantage but France are more than capable of winning so I wouldn't be at all suprised if they did. This one is going to be a cracker of a match!

 

[Duckdee]

Whoever has the least worse defence will win. Should be a cracker!

 

[Logorrhea]

Against the English midfield, Jouzions offloading is what the French want anyway.

He hasnt been offloading like that in quite a few years. Half the player he was.

 

[Teh Mite]

Half a Jouzion is worth a dozen Hapes.

 

[elgringoborracho]

He hasnt been offloading like that in quite a few years. Half the player he was.

True, unfortunately. And Jauzion-Rougerie was the center pairing against Australia, didnt exactly cause problems to the defense.

With someone like Rougerie at 13 (who has been really good in the last games so he has to stay), we need more of a creator like Mermoz, to find the half gap and send locomotive Rougerie into it.
An on form Traille actually knows how to do that, but he is not on form.
An on form Jauzion wins you games regardless of who the outside center is, but he is not on form.

As I have said countless times: our best n° 12 in France is Trinh-Duc (he's played some magnifiscent games with Montpellier in this position, with Fernandez at 10). With Beauxis and Dupuy coming back very strongly with Paris, a good option for me would be Dupuy-Beauxis-FTD-Rougerie. This is of course never going to happen.
What is likely to happen is the exact same backline, because Lievremont is in love with Traille, and apart from him nobody really underperformed. Maybe we will see Clerc in for Huget, but that won't change anything.

England by 15

 

[munstermuffin]

France have a poor defense though and Ireland or Scotland don't have it but in Foden and Ashton England have 2 of the best counter runners in the world but also 2 of the best who know where and when to join line.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I will definately be watching this match and should England win it, which is my expectation (in form and look to be consistant, at home and playing with self belief where France look like they aren't gelling and not pitching up mentally), I would see it as the tournament wrapped up.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Half a Jouzion is worth a dozen Hapes.

To be fair, this may play into Hapes hands
Spent the majority of his career playing League so he'll have it drilled into his head to watch for offloads/wrap the ball in the tackle etc.
Then again, he's an oaf, so who knows