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France v Wales

Where are all the Welsh guys ? Crying for their slam already, drowning their defeat in beer ?
 
Problem with Bastareaud is whenever he gets the ball you think, WTF is a second row doing out there! Impressive player.

France are still groping forward. They should have slaughtered Wales.

Baby did fairly well. Trinh-Duc was ok. Harinord excellent as usual.

Did Gatland get his 60 min replacements wrong again? I think so. But fair dues to Wales for getting close. They are smart and nasty, but sadly no brilliance tonight - apart from Byrne's try.
 
Yeah, Henson at 22 wasn't something I saw working, they could have done with someone who doesn't play a similar game to the man at 21.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Feb 27 2009, 11:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
selection dilemma as well for Lievremont, does he bring back Fritz or continue with Bastareaud, you'd think the latter but you can never be sure with Lievremont.[/b]
On his 2005 or recent form Fritz is still better, but BastarEREEEAAUD (the new Chabal I guess) can be a good impact substitute. But one day or another... this guy is a freak.


Great moment of rugby. Nallet was immense (good reponse to the critics) Dusautoir, Jauzion and Harinordoquy (best french player alive) too. Heroic performance by Parra, Bastareaud... well, everybody has been outsanding tonight.

I just hope that there will be a tomorrow, this time. Let's be honest, tonight result is not a upset... it's typically french. 
 
Cant comment on the game because i was at work but

just got back in and Austin Healey was on the box and said that the championship game is England vs Ireland! <_<
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cymro @ Feb 27 2009, 11:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Cant comment on the game because i was at work but

just got back in and Austin Healey was on the box and said that the championship game is England vs Ireland! <_<[/b]

you are kidding! Well that backs up my earlier point about the BBC
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cymro @ Feb 27 2009, 10:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Cant comment on the game because i was at work but

just got back in and Austin Healey was on the box and said that the championship game is England vs Ireland! <_<[/b]

Are you serious? What a brainless twat. Thats it i can't watch the beeb tomorrom, the bullsh1t will reach critical levels.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Charles @ Feb 27 2009, 10:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Where are all the Welsh guys ? Crying for their slam already, drowning their defeat in beer ?[/b]
I know right? We totally deserve a kicking on the ground for our arrogance on this one. :rolleyes:

As for the game, Byrne's try was a gem. After that, I said, "The game's over." My thoughts being that the French crowd would quieten and unnerve their country and we'd see a predictable French horror show in Paris. The reality was horribly different. Absolutely everything that we would have wanted to avoid in the whole time after that, happened. Our game plan - kicking to the French - backfired horribly. Did no-one have the foresight to think, "Hey, the French are reknowned for their counter-attacking ability. Perhaps we shouldn't punt the ball wildly to their back three!" ?
The kicking overall from Wales was damned awful. Byrne, his try and some marvellous defending aside, played himself out of the Lions jersey. He failed to take up-and-unders that he made his ***** all of last season, and his kicking was awry and devastating for us. Our defence for the first twenty or so minutes was awesome. Nothing was going to give and it was all looking good. Shanklin should have been sent off, but that's not important - the game would have been completely different if he'd been sent off, so there's no saying that we wouldn't have scored etc ad nauseam...
Besides that, Shanklin played the best for us. His partner was eclipsed by ******* and Jauzion and was rightly taken off, though Henson was complete cack when he came on. Speaking of which, Peel passed superbly when he came on, but DON'T TAKE UP HARRY ELLIS' TACTIC OF FAFFING ABOUT AT THE GODDAMN RUCKS! A try could've been scored at the end but the defence from France was world class.
Am I the only one who detected a nudge at the final lineout? It looked like during the brief moment it happened, but meh. No point in whingeing about something as feeble; France should have won by far more. 20+ points went begging due to silly errors and the lack of a good kicker and everything we did for the final 55 minutes suited them. Martyn was very good again. Stole some valuable ball which was hoofed aimlessly away again and again...

Overall: most intense game of the tournament so far. I don't know about my fellow Welshers and Frenchers but I almost had a heart attack. France were deserved winners on the day because they worked us out. We had our opportunities to steal the match, undeservedly, but they defended gallantly.
It's an experience for us at least. We were never going to win all 20 matches in the 6N 'til the World Cup, so a loss may be the kick up the behind that we've needed, since a string of lacklustre performances against Scotland and England made it a necessity. The Ireland game isn't as nicely set up as it could've been now though. :(
Congratulations France! Baby didn't choke like predicted: good for him!
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Charles @ Feb 27 2009, 10:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Where are all the Welsh guys ? Crying for their slam already, drowning their defeat in beer ?[/b]

Hahaha, you guys, you don't usually get a chance to celebrate but when you do...

...I'm not sure that the Welsh-heads quite know how to react. The victors weren't England or a SH nation for a start and I doubt you can make yourself heard above all the random music being played by the massed French bands...
 
I really don't think Lee Byrne is the out and out Lyons 15

It's still very much on between him and Kearney, especially with Kearney's form


very very very interesting though to see who gets it
 
well it wasn't his finest hour, but lets reserve judgement on the whole Kearney Byrne debate till after tomorrow's match, that battle in Cardiff should still be epic though, regardless of what either team is playing for, those lads should be playing for the full back spot in SA.
 
Austin Healy's tongue was firmly in his cheek when he made the comments about tomorrow's game. His analysis was surpisingly good actually.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MunsterMan @ Feb 27 2009, 11:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Austin Healy's tongue was firmly in his cheek when he made the comments about tomorrow's game. His analysis was surpisingly good actually.[/b]

yeah that makes more sense to be honest, had it been Guscott though that's another story.
 
Healey was kidding aye.

Great game though, although the choice not to play a real kicker was about 6 inches from costing France the game.
 
I don't think France counter-attacked as well as they did against Ireland. They were far more considered than that. Most of the time when the ball was kicked to them, they just kicked it back into the corners or the put up a Garryowen, and chased it well. And it suited their game much better. Against Ireland they played a free flowing attacking game, but tonight it was all about the forwards. They powered through the game, especially in the second half. To be honest I thought the French backline were rather average in attack. They didn't break the line much, and rarely went wide. They were fantastic in defence, and Bastareaud really put himself forward to be a starter, but the backline didn't create.
 
I think Medard was quite intelligent with his kicking, Jauzion was much more in the game than he was in Dublin or against the Scots, obviously Bastareaud was a beast but even Heymans and Malzieu had some good moments, nothing stellar but I think as a backline they did reasonably well and with Parra orchestrating things brilliantly. Will be hard to see Tillous Borde getting back in the side after that performance.
 
France were farkin' awesome. Harinoduquy and Heaslip are pushing well above their wait; easily the two best performers so far. Imanol today was world class.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Feb 27 2009, 11:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
I think Medard was quite intelligent with his kicking, Jauzion was much more in the game than he was in Dublin or against the Scots, obviously Bastareaud was a beast but even Heymans and Malzieu had some good moments, nothing stellar but I think as a backline they did reasonably well and with Parra orchestrating things brilliantly. Will be hard to see Tillous Borde getting back in the side after that performance.[/b]

I agree, but I don't think it's fair to say Wales lost because of French counter-attacking. I think they lost because the French forwards fronted up much more, and in the second half the French tactical kicking, and kicks and chases were superb. They counter-attacked far less than the game against Ireland, but controlled the game far far more.

Actually, I think it was a very Munster like performance.
 

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