RBS 6 Nations - France vs Italy - (04/02/2012 - 14:30)

[Getofmeland]

Stade de France (04/02/2012 - 14:30)

When the Squad is announced it will be posted here.
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[Aedaphon]

Let's have a repeat of last year...



I cried :lol:

 

[Mr.cyclopede]

I think we'll carry this until...
...
...Until Italy beat England !

 

[Aedaphon]

I think we'll carry this until...
...
...Until Italy beat England !

I wouldn't be that surprised...

 

[LittleGuy]

I think the French will take some vengeance for last year's result especially at home, I'm saying France wins this by a healthy but not huge margin.

 

[Pierce Brosnan Rugby]

WE WILL WIN FOR SURE.... PARISSE, CASTROGIOVANNI, LO CICERO, GONZALO CANALE, MASSI THEY WILL KICK FRECH ASSES ALL THE DAY LONG, I PREDICT WE WILL WIN 24-12 FRANCE GOT NO CHANCE THIS TIME!... :lol:

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Usually the Italy game, especially at home, has been used to try new combinations, etc., but this year it will be PSA's first ever game, first game after the WC final and first game against Italy since last year's loss, so I think both the coaching staff and the players will want to make a statement. I can see this game being very one sided.

And last year France should have been awarded a penalty from the last scrum. Not that we deserved to win anyway, but just saying.

 

[Me 1]

Usually the Italy game, especially at home, has been used to try new combinations, etc., but this year it will be PSA's first ever game, first game after the WC final and first game against Italy since last year's loss, so I think both the coaching staff and the players will want to make a statement. I can see this game being very one sided.

And last year France should have been awarded a penalty from the last scrum. Not that we deserved to win anyway, but just saying.

Uh-oh look who the ref was, looks like that daft topic about Bryce Lawrence might just restart

Edit: Or rather, get back on topic

 

[Mr.Frenchy]

Italy haven't got a chance! France was devastated and embarrassed last year I'm confident that they won't let it happen again. Without that ball and chain Marc Lievrement holding them back the French are going to come out all guns blazing! I can't wait to see what this French team can do under new management. Exciting times!

 

[Me 1]

Italy haven't got a chance! France was devastated and embarrassed last year I'm confident that they won't let it happen again. Without that ball and chain Marc Lievrement holding them back the French are going to come out all guns blazing! I can't wait to see what this French team can do under new management. Exciting times!

Funny how everyone thought that last year.....

 

[Amobokoboko]

Fingers crossed for Italy. Hope they can score some tries as I'm curious to see who will take the kicks

 

[Mr.Frenchy]

Funny how everyone thought that last year.....

To be fair that's not exactly true is it!? This time last year if you a France supporter you didn't have much hope at all and it definitely wasn't exciting times! The spring test were abysmal, we conceded our biggest defeats ever from the likes of Argentina and South Africa and later on that year we got absolutely hammered by Australia in Paris! So last year I would say that France was a much more sheepish and humble team. Nobody thought it was exciting times for us. Agreed??? =P

 

[Gavin]

To be fair that's not exactly true is it!?

In terms of the Six Nations and previous matches it wasn't the best time to be a French supporter, but I hardly think ANY French supporter would have thought they could have lost to Italy. Either way this match is in Paris so I expect France to score three tries or more but would hope Italy score two or more. Finally, as usual, Parisse will get Man of the Match.

 

[Aout]

Here's the list of the 23 players that will make the team on next Saturday against Italy :

Avants (13) : Vincent Debaty (Clermont), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Jean-Baptiste Poux (Toulouse), David Attoub (Stade Français), William Servat (Toulouse), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Français), Pascal Papé (Stade Français), Yoann Maestri (Toulouse), Lionel Nallet (Racing), Julien Bonnaire (Clermont), Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse/Cap), Louis Picamoles (Toulouse), Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz)

Arrières (10) : Morgan Parra (Clermont), Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), François Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Lionel Beauxis (Toulouse), Aurélien Rougerie (Clermont), Wesley Fofana (Clermont), Maxime Mermoz (Perpignan), Vincent Clerc (Toulouse), Julien Malzieu (Clermont), Maxime Médard (Toulouse)

Poitrenaud won't be playing

 

[Mr.Frenchy]

Yeah I'm gutted about Proitrenaud as well :-( but all in all I'm happy with this French team

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Sooo... they name a team of 30, including 5 props... and when they select 23 they leave out two of the props and call another one in! Marc, is that you??

All in all here's not much to add. I would have included Nyanga or Ouedraogo instead of either Harinordoquy (off form) or Bonnaire (on his way out), and Poitrenaud instead of... somebody.

There's still one prop to drop, I reckon it will be Attoub.

edit: I guess leaving Nyanga and Poitrenaud out was at least partly to be a bit generous with Toulouse. I'm glad I'll get to see them this weekend

 

[Aout]

why has Debaty been retained? he's like the French Marler, decent in the loose but a poor scrummager

Exactly. I know he's awesome in the loose, there's some many play actions I can remember where this guy almost looks like a back !

The picture you got in your signature is awesome Did you do it yourself ?

All in all here's not much to add. I would have included Nyanga or Ouedraogo instead of either Harinordoquy (off form) or Bonnaire (on his way out), and Poitrenaud instead of... somebody.

I'm one of those who really really really really really would like to see Poitrenaud with a blue jersey once again. It's probably his last opportunity to play a world cup and every time he had a chance to play for France in the past, he was a choker.

However as much as we all love Médard who's arguably faster and more explosive that Clément, Poitrenaud has that little something I just can't explain. Just like Trinh-Duc, on the paper they don't look like superstars, but when you see them on a pitch, you understand why they have been selected.

I hope they'll give him another shot :/

 

[ZeFrenchy]

^^ I agree on Poitrenaud... if you see my previous posts, you'll see that I'd love to have the man along a season, but his error-pronness (made-up word) makes me very nervous when he plays for France (or for Toulouse in knock out games). And also, I think Médard is a much better 11 than he is a 15.

I think that there are quite a few positions where there is no uncertainty:
1. Poux
2. Servat
3. Mas

6. Dusautoir
7. Bonnaire

11. Malzieu

13. Rougerie
14. Clerc
15. Médard

So, the questions are, basically:
Will Fofana and Maestri start or come from the bench?
Who will start at 8, 9 and 10?

IMO, Maestri should start on the bench, Fofana should start. Picamoles over Harinordoquy (usually I would prefer Hari's technique against the italians, but he's really off form), Parra and TD over Yach and Beauxis.

A piece of trivia: Attoub and Debaty both have a single cap. It was the same game against Romania in 2006. The other test debut in tha game was a young backrower called... Thierry Henry. Pardon, Dusautoir.

 

[Aout]

Don't you think TD will get the spot at fly half ? I mean he is and he was the obvious choice over the last 3 years (except during the RWC but he proved he was our n1 fly half when he came back in the Finale).

I can't see PSA choosing someone else, he knows TD's potential, he knows what TD has done before and Parra still plays scrum-half for Clermont.

Trinh Duc is our man.

 

[ZeFrenchy]

I'd play him too, but PSA is way more conservative than most french fans. It's akso true that as Beauxis is the emergancy fullback, it'd be better to have him on the bench.