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June Internationals: New Zealand - France, 3rd test

That was Camille Lopez. It is obviously PSA's instructions to kick everything away, since neither Michlak nor Lopez do that normally. That's why I think Tales will start, his kicking game is more "natural" than Lopez's, and PSA seems to think that's he only role for a FH (I wonder why he didn't select Plisson then?)

Yeah I honestly don't think Lopez offered anything more than Michalak. The French backs were just as non-existent in the first game as in the second - they did score one try but apart from that there wasn't much to get French fans excited.

Like you've said, Frenchy, I think it's more a tactical thing - and I very much think this is a stupid, borderline suicidal tactic from PSA!
 
I think Lopez did alright. Some of the French attack looked quite sharp in that first test. Certainly not bad for a debut against the All Blacks!

EDIT: Actually looking at his stats I guess they were pretty disappointing.
 
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From today's practice, the side for Saturday seems to be: Dulin, Huget, Fritz, Fofana, Andreu, Talès, Doussain, Chouly, Leroux, Dusautoir, Maestri (Flanquart), Mas, Kayser, Domingo (Ben Arous).
RMC and L'équipe differ only in the two players in between parentheses. I expect the bench to include Machenaud, Lopez and Bastareaud. In the forwards, it depends mostly on injuries, as I said in a previous post.
 
From today's practice, the side for Saturday seems to be: Dulin, Huget, Fritz, Fofana, Andreu, Talès, Doussain, Chouly, Leroux, Dusautoir, Maestri (Flanquart), Mas, Kayser, Domingo (Ben Arous).
RMC and L'équipe differ only in the two players in between parentheses. I expect the bench to include Machenaud, Lopez and Bastareaud. In the forwards, it depends mostly on injuries, as I said in a previous post.

well...the last hoorah.
Hope at least Domingo's there...it's just this last one, then he can hibernate in a cave somewhere.
 
ALL BLACKS: Israel Dagg, Ben Smith, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Rene Ranger, Dan Carter, Piri Weepu, Kieran Read (C), Sam Cane, Victor Vito, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Owen Franks, Andrew Hore, Wyatt Crockett. Reserves: Ben Franks, Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu, Steven Luatua, Matt Todd, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Beauden Barrett, Charles Piutau
 
ALL BLACKS: Israel Dagg, Ben Smith, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Rene Ranger, Dan Carter, Piri Weepu, Kieran Read (C), Sam Cane, Victor Vito, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Owen Franks, Andrew Hore, Wyatt Crockett. Reserves: Ben Franks, Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu, Steven Luatua, Matt Todd, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Beauden Barrett, Charles Piutau

Yeahhh baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rene Ranger will start the match!!!!!!! Ooooooooooooohhh yeah! :D:D:D

Ranger's hair reminds me of the Howlett's hair, is similar:

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Hopefully he does half of the tries that made Doug "The Great".
 
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somehow Hawlett pulled it off without looking like a hobo haha

lets hope it's not the last time we see Ranger in the All Blacks.

Who's up for starting a kickstarter to help fund Rangers french contract buyout? lol
 
somehow Hawlett pulled it off without looking like a hobo haha

lets hope it's not the last time we see Ranger in the All Blacks.

Who's up for starting a kickstarter to help fund Rangers french contract buyout? lol

It'll certainly be a more worthwhile Kickstarter than most of the "projects" on there. Unmade tech, under (or never) delivered games, and celebrities asking for donations? STFU and GTFOH!!!!
smh

Sent from my Transformer Prime using Tapatalk 2
 
ALL BLACKS: Israel Dagg, Ben Smith, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Rene Ranger, Dan Carter, Piri Weepu, Kieran Read (C), Sam Cane, Victor Vito, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Owen Franks, Andrew Hore, Wyatt Crockett. Reserves: Ben Franks, Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu, Steven Luatua, Matt Todd, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Beauden Barrett, Charles Piutau

Still no Ben Afeaki!?

What the ****!?
 
France: Brice Dulin, Marc Andreu, Florian Fritz, Wesley Fofana, Yohann Huget, Remi Tales, Jean Marc Doussain, Antonie Claassen, Damien Chouly, Thierry Dusautoir (capt), Yoann Maestri, Alexandre Flanquart, Nicolas Mas, Benjamin Kayser, Thomas Domingo. Reserves: Dimitri Szarzewski, Eddy Ben Arous, Luc Ducalon, Sebastien Vahaamahina, Bernard le Roux, Maxime Machenaud, Camille Lopez, Mathieu Bastareaud.
 
Still no Ben Afeaki!?

What the ****!?

pretty sure he got a run first test. I guess this would be a good chance to rest Owen Franks, he will go into super rugby after a pretty heavy workload, I guess they are limiting the changes somewhat and Messam and Cruden probably needed to be rested more than anyone else and Coles has a minor injury so that's forced.
 
pretty sure he got a run first test. I guess this would be a good chance to rest Owen Franks, he will go into super rugby after a pretty heavy workload, I guess they are limiting the changes somewhat and Messam and Cruden probably needed to be rested more than anyone else and Coles has a minor injury so that's forced.

He got a run for all of ten minutes. Why use Ben Franks, a guy who's specialising at loosehead, a guy who's spent all season at loosehead, ahead of the form tighthead in Super Rugby?
 
France: Brice Dulin, Marc Andreu, Florian Fritz, Wesley Fofana, Yohann Huget, Remi Tales, Jean Marc Doussain, Antonie Claassen, Damien Chouly, Thierry Dusautoir (capt), Yoann Maestri, Alexandre Flanquart, Nicolas Mas, Benjamin Kayser, Thomas Domingo. Reserves: Dimitri Szarzewski, Eddy Ben Arous, Luc Ducalon, Sebastien Vahaamahina, Bernard le Roux, Maxime Machenaud, Camille Lopez, Mathieu Bastareaud.

aww man...I think I like the bench better !
 
He got a run for all of ten minutes. Why use Ben Franks, a guy who's specialising at loosehead, a guy who's spent all season at loosehead, ahead of the form tighthead in Super Rugby?

Agreed, especially when Ben Franks is an average-as tight head.
 
I am hoping for another NZ thrashing, a big victory.
Not that I have anything against the French national team, but hope it makes the French administrators wake up and put a stop to the players leaving the Southern hemisphere to make more money in France.
This is causing us to to loose players and the final results is what you see on this tour
It is a loose loose situations for your national team. Only the foreign players benefiting, earning massive incomes due to the exchange rate, players mostly over their prime although that is also changing lately.
It devalues your national/local club champs where young French faces should be seen, the breeding ground for tomorrow's heroes.

Secondly is Japan, the situation there even more sick as the contracts prohibits players from playing for their national sides, wake up IRU, you need to step in.

***EDIT** IRB
 
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I am hoping for another NZ thrashing, a big victory.
Not that I have anything against the French national team, but hope it makes the French administrators wake up and put a stop to the players leaving the Southern hemisphere to make more money in France.
This is causing us to to loose players and the final results is what you see on this tour
It is a loose loose situations for your national team. Only the foreign players benefiting, earning massive incomes due to the exchange rate, players mostly over their prime although that is also changing lately.
It devalues your national/local club champs where young French faces should be seen, the breeding ground for tomorrow's heroes.

Secondly is Japan, the situation there even more sick as the contracts prohibits players from playing for their national sides, wake up IRU, you need to step in.

Indefeasible Rights of Use?
 
tx for trolling, some logic re the typo now please

:lol:

Agree with the sentiment of the post - I'm apparently in an argumentitive mood which has degenerated to just being annoying. Soz.
 
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