[EOYT] France vs. New Zealand 09/11/13

[TRF Mr Fish]

France vs. New Zealand 09/11/13 21:00 CET ( tell me please NZDT) Stade de France, St. Denis, France.

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

Someone else can pretty up the thread,( Geeze so demanding ) I just wanted to get it started

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

It sounds like Savea may be out with an illness, the call likely won't be made until close to kick off.

I'm expecting a lineup of:
1 Woodcock
2 Mealamu
3 Franks
4 Retallick
5 Whitelock
6 Messam
7 McCaw
8 Read
9 Smith
10 Carter
11 Piutau
12 Nonu
13 Smith
14 Jane
15 Dagg

16 Coles
17 Crockett
18 Faumuina
19 Romano
20 Cane
21 Perenara
22 Cruden
23 Saili

 

[Bada-Bing!]

It sounds like Savea may be out with an illness, the call likely won't be made until close to kick off.

I'm expecting a lineup of:
1 Woodcock
2 Mealamu
3 Franks
4 Retallick
5 Whitelock
6 Messam
7 McCaw
8 Read
9 Smith
10 Carter
11 Piutau
12 Nonu
13 Smith
14 Jane
15 Dagg

16 Coles
17 Crockett
18 Faumuina
19 Romano
20 Cane
21 Perenara
22 Cruden
23 Saili

I take it you're expecting the Blacks to be saving Hore for the England game?

Luatua is a better bench option than Romano, as he can cover both lock and 6.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

I take it your expecting the Blacks to be saving Hore for the England game?

Luatua is a better bench option than Romano, as he can cover both lock and 6.

I figure that England have a slightly better forward pack (though they're very similar), and that Hore played in the last match, so Mealamu will likely play this match. It's probably a 50/50 call to be honest. The best thing would be for Coles to start.

Luatua is certainly a better bench option, but Romano needs game time and I think it's better he starts off the bench in this game and plays a full match next week or something. That being said, the current batch of selectors have preferred to start players when they return from injury, as opposed to introducing them from the bench. We'll have to wait and see!

 

[nickdnz]

This is an insane match for Jane to start...

 

[Chikwa]

It sounds like Savea may be out with an illness, the call likely won't be made until close to kick off.

I'm expecting a lineup of:
1 Woodcock
2 Mealamu
3 Franks
4 Retallick
5 Whitelock
6 Messam
7 McCaw
8 Read
9 Smith
10 Carter
11 Piutau
12 Nonu
13 Smith
14 Jane
15 Dagg

16 Coles
17 Crockett
18 Faumuina
19 Romano
20 Cane
21 Perenara
22 Cruden
23 Saili

It will be shame if Savea doesn't play. With all the flashes of skill that piatau had shown he is not yet the deadly finisher and line breaker that Savea is.I expect beauden Barret to be on the bench and not Saili.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

http://www.espnscrum.com/newzealand/rugby/story/204931.html

Charles Piutau is set to replace Julian Savea on one All Blacks wing against France in Paris, with the Hurricanes star having played no part in New Zealand's build-up for the Test after picking up an illness during the trip to Europe.

Savea was seen moving about the team hotel on Tuesday, after spending most of his first three days in Paris in bed, but he didn't take part in their key two-hour training session - something that has counted against players previously under coach Steve Hansen, who likes his players substantially involved in preparation for every Test.

Looks more like Piutau will start now. Savea will be back ready to fire against the English.

 

[Darwin]

This is an insane match for Jane to start...

It would certainly be a big challenge for him! He does seem to enjoy playing France....

It will be shame if Savea doesn't play. With all the flashes of skill that piatau had shown he is not yet the deadly finisher and line breaker that Savea is.I expect beauden Barret to be on the bench and not Saili.

I would be very surprised if they include both Cruden and Barrett on the bench. It wouldn't make much sense to have two 10's on the bench - I think including a specialist mid-fielder such Crotty or Saili is far more likely....

 

[Big Ewis]

well I feel we've talked enough about this one...
NZ at the peak of their form, start off their EOYT in a nation that's had its woes all year long....last time we were actually good was 2012, November to be accurate.

Not making excuses right now, just stating facts:
we have injuries that will have frustrating consequences on the game, and will be felt throughout the 80 min. No Picamoles, and Bastareaud at center has been dropped, so we're left with no big ball carriers it seems. Also, Thomas Domingo is out, and our scrum won't be as it should be - one of our strengths against any side...
Our third row will really be lacking punch with Picamoles out...and I don't like some of our replacements.

I'm not as enthusiastic as I was about this now...but hopefully we can at least not look clueless on a Rugby field as we did in test 2 in NZ last summer. I hope we can play some good Rugby, that's all...it will be encouraging for the rest of the way.
Of course if we get crushed this time, everyone will remember the 4 losses of 2013 against NZ, and the dark year of the 6N Wooden Spoon...when honestly we haven't been terrible this year, we haven't been blown out except that second test where we played like clueless children...aimless.

We really need a high right now, and I don't think the crazy Frenchness is for now, I don't think the great awakening we've been talking about all year long is now...but I'm hopeful we look better as a team, rather than counting on big names on paper to do well individually in stretches...

It's just too bad I can't feel confident about hosting a side at home...we'll see.

 

[Da Grappla]

Well...let's support La Legion Etrangere, upss...sorry, I meant France. Once a year doesn't hurt (so much)...ouch, more than once in 2013.

Hope no more matches against NZ in a while.

 

[ZeFrenchy]

23-man squad just released:
LH props: Vincent Debaty, Yannick Forestier
Hookers: Dimitri Szarzewski, Benjamin Kayser
TH props: Nicolas Mas, Rabah Slimani
Locks: Pascal Papé, Sébastien Vahaamahina, Yoann Maestri
Backrowers: Thierry Dusautoir, Wenceslas Lauret, Damien Chouly, Antonie Claassen

Scrum halves: Jean-Marc Doussain, Morgan Parra
Fly-halves: Rémi Talès, Camille Lopez
Centres: Gaël Fickou, Wesley Fofana, Florien Fritz
Wingers: Maxime Médard, Yoann Huget
Fullback: Brice Dulin

Alexandre Flanquart, Bernard Leroux and Yannick Nyanga were left out.

Surprised to see Lauret there, and I would have prefered Flanquart over Vahaamahina. Given the situation, couldn't have done much better.

 

[Packman]

A tough ask has been made harder by NZ getting a match under their belt last weekend. Is it too much to ask that every country starts on the same week? How hard is this to organise? There's five Satuday's this month. we've known the schedule for the best part of a year. why couldn't France have got a match booked in last Saturday? Its a bit naff. The FFR dropped the ball. They certainly haven't done their players any favours.

Why not England Vs NZ this weekend and give France a match vs Argentina? Its common sense, its dumb that you got a match hardened side taking on a team that haven't played together since June. Really stupid scheduling that ought to have been identified and dealt with months ago.

 

[gaston le gaff]

The problem is that last week there was TOP 14 so it would have been impossible to play an International, we already have a double header on the 23rd with International against South Africa and Top 14 + 2 double headers during the 6 Nations. The French schedule is very tough on the players who play in a very tough league plus more matches than the rest of the NH.

 

[Big Ewis]

I just really hope to see some good team play, and solidarity. And a lot of heart. We can beat New Zealand, we have world class players, even if not at full strength. We're not Zimbabwe or wtvr, we're France. And even with some strengths missing, we shouldn't get blown out badly here.
Seeing how *great* NZ is this year, and again with our current situation this year, a loss isn't horrible in itself against the All-Blacks. But we shouldn't get crushed by 40 points or smt crazy like that...

Again: I just want to see good team work....just a coherent, team oriented effort. Please, France.

 

[Jaguares]

ABs by 10...

 

[Prestwick]

ABs by 10...

Considering that France are about as predictable as chaos theory I am very interested in seeing your reasoning behind this prediction.

 

[Big Ewis]

Considering that France are about as predictable as chaos theory I am very interested in seeing your reasoning behind this prediction.

France may very well take a nice big cake plate of 50 in the face, and that at home, as we're all aware of. Especially this year !!...
But deep in the back of my rectum, way...way deep in there...I think I may find that there might be a good French performance this time around. I've just got this special gut feeling....literally a 'gut feeling', or perhaps colon...

 

[Prestwick]

I'm flipping a coin and it says...ABs. Thats as accurate as I can get with France and predictions to be honest.

 

[Big Ewis]

I'm flipping a coin and it says...ABs. Thats as accurate as I can get with France and predictions to be honest.

a$$hole !!
And here's one prediction I will make...for I foresee events often, as everybody now accepts on this forum:
I predict..........I predict.........................

There..ahem......I predict France will not start its November tests with a 33-6 final score this year.

 

[Prestwick]

I'm spinning bottles now. Its stopped at ten minutes before the hour.

What does that mean for France?!