France RWC 2011

[Tau tahi]

Aout point I Fully understand yes players out this end of the earth do get special treatment if on All Black duty same for the Wallabies.But I Expected that a union such as France will have things in place that allow players rest before and after Tests to prevent injury and keep a consitent squad.While at least your players get released to play for their respective nations with out the threat of contract been tremenated.Nations Like Tonga consitently put up with this.The world cup is the only time we get to show case the best we got.

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Aout point I Fully understand yes players out this end of the earth do get special treatment if on All Black duty same for the Wallabies.But I Expected that a union such as France will have things in place that allow players rest before and after Tests to prevent injury and keep a consitent squad.While at least your players get released to play for their respective nations with out the threat of contract been tremenated.Nations Like Tonga consitently put up with this.The world cup is the only time we get to show case the best we got.

That's precisely the problem. There is little to no coordination between the federation and the league.

 

[Aout]

Huget dismissed :

http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/depe...-pour-manquement-au-reglement-antidopage.html

 

[Melhor Time]

Huget dismissed :

http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/depe...-pour-manquement-au-reglement-antidopage.html

A huge shame for Huget but actually a good thing for France as Palisson, Médard and Clerc should be the back-three.

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Médard is so good at wing that he looks very poor when playing fullback...

 

[psychic duck]

rugbyrama.fr is reporting that Fabien Barcella has seriously ruptured his achilles and is out of the RWC

I feel sorry for Barcella, he is so injury prone

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Do you have any info on who might be the last dropped player? Without Barcella and Huget now there are 18 forwards and 13 backs, so I'm guessing it will be a backrower, unless 2 hookers and/or 4 props are fit enough to drop the third hooker or the fifth prop.

 

[psychic duck]

Do you have any info on who might be the last dropped player? Without Barcella and Huget now there are 18 forwards and 13 backs, so I'm guessing it will be a backrower, unless 2 hookers and/or 4 props are fit enough to drop the third hooker or the fifth prop.

the original 33 man squad had three extra players for the possibility that Domingo, Barcella and Rougerie would not be fit

With Barcella looking as if he is out and Huget out, I would guess the last member to not make it to NZ would a prop, probably Jean-Baptiste Poux

 

[Aout]

I'm not sure Psychic duc.

Guirardo is the most unexperienced player in the 1st row, and he has been selected because Lievremont was not sure whether or not Szarzewski would be able to play (remember he was injured for almost 8 months).
Now that Dimitri seems to be ok, I'm not sure we need more than 2 hookers (Servat being the other one).

 

[jordiev]

for the amount of good players france have ... theyre backs are alot weaker than they could/should be tbh

 

[wertas]

Domingo and Marconnet dropped from France team.

http://www.espnscrum.com/france/rugby/story/146719.html

Interesting that Barcella was included, but with him France scrum looked quite weak. Maybe Barcella lacks playing practise and will improve.

 

[Amobokoboko]

Looks like a good team . Pity they still didn't include Chabal

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Dropping Marconnet is just silly. Barcella just had his first minutes of rugby in over a year and he was pretty bad. And Poux just doesn't inspire the same respect as Marconnet in the scrum, and does just as little in the loose.

Also, apparently he left in vey bad terms with Lièvremont, so it doesn't seemlikely he will be called as injury cover, which would leave France with a very out-of-form Domingo... who atm is still not even recovered from injury!

Personnally, I would've taken five props and dropped Lakafia. We knew the two to miss out were going to be props though. Still, shocking decision by ML.... again.

 

[Aout]

for the amount of good players france have ... theyre backs are alot weaker than they could/should be tbh

A lot weaker ?

There's something you have to understand about France : Our player do not have any time to play together in order to improve their teamplay throughout the year, and you feel it when they are on the pitch. They only gather and train together during the 6N and during summer and autumn test matches. Obviously with the world cup coming in September, the situation is different, and we saw this this week end and the one before.
And then there's Lievremont's choices. We never had the same back line over the 2 last years.
Therefore our backs do not have the automatisms the Irish/Kiwis/Aussies backs have for example. They need time to get to know each others

Bear in mind that the two French team you watched are 2nd string teams. Despite that, our backs had a pretty good performance.

Last week, until Maxime Mermoz got injured (which forced Trinh Duc to move from fly half to inside center), our backs were doing really good, it was a pleasure to watch them playing. And we had players that won't probably be in the starting XV (Marty, Traille).

This week end our backs displayed some beautiful moves, despite Rougerie playing his first match since January, despite Heymans playing his first match with France since end of 2009, and despite Estebanez average performance (tho he defended well). And despite a very weak scrum, which is unusual for France.

I wouldn't be concerned at all with French backs, to be honest I even think we probably have Europe best backs. They are not big names like Ashton or Foden, but after watching Palisson playing, would you want to swap him for Ashton ?

 

[Logorrhea]

Dropping Marconnet is just silly. Barcella just had his first minutes of rugby in over a year and he was pretty bad.

Agreed. I'm a huge fan but he weakened the scrum. Dont think he is quite ready, but then again Ireland have been easing Ferris and Flannery back. Sometimes you risk it for the better players.

 

[Mr.cyclopede]

Lievremont is betting on Barcella like he did on Rougerie...Is is that silly??

I suppose he might have clues from the medical staff on the way Barcella is recovering, and if that's to be confirmed, his potential is quite superior than Marconnet's wich is at his maximum and will never get back to the level (and the age) he had before his skiing accident.

Barcella performance on last saturday was not excellent, now I think Lievremont is counting on the pool stage matches to make him be the rock he is.