Top 14 Day 11

[Big Ewis]

yes you're absolutely right. When was the last time Papa Schtroumpf & les Pieds Nickelés witnessed a 6 win streak...

well 4 in a row wasn't bad in 2012. It's very strange to look at those numbers now knowing what followed, but: 49-10 33-6 39-22 22-14. Of course those 4 wins are sandwiched between a loss in Argentina to a weakened Pumas side and a loss in Rome to the Italians...but that's just the French way

 

[FrenchFan]

Not sure what's strange about it. They're just following a downward curve. Les ardoises s'allourdissent (the pastings get worse). It's the FFR way you mean :lol:.

Those scores should have the alarm bell ringing about the dire need for a specialist defense coach. But no, after 3 years, there is still no defense coach when there was one under Laporte and Lievremont (David Ellis). So there is nothing now resembling a defensive structure.

When profesional clubs build coaching teams with a head coach that delegates to assistants, FFR are going the opposite road after doing away simultaneously with the selection comittee, the defense coach and the kicking coach they used to have under Laporte and Lievremont. Now, they've taken the insanity another step further by putting the national coach under stewardship and take away his credibility by pretending to support him...

 

[Big Ewis]

uhm FrenchFan, one of the ONLY things we've done well under PSA is defense. The two disasters in Australia last summer were firsts out of his entire tenure through 2012, 2013 and 2014. And Test 1 was a monumental failure of an attempt at inverted defensive tactics (although I'm sure you'll use that as an argument...).
Look at those results under PSA:





We've conceded in 2012:
16 points and 1.4 tries per game

We've conceded in 2013:
21 points and 1.6 tries per game

We've conceded in the 2014 Six Nations:
20 points and 2 tries per game


We've conceded under PSA (minus Australian Tour) a grand total of:
19 points and 1.67 tries per game.

Up until the Aus disaster we'd conceded 30 points (exactly) only once, in New Zealand.

Only 3x had we conceded as many as 3 tries, once per year.
We kept the All-Blacks to only 2 tries three out of four tests.

I think out of all the departments, defense was the one strong point of PSA and even that they managed to completely but I mean COMPLETELY fucck up in Australia more recently. It was experimental however and I don't think we'll see the likes of it again. Surely that staff is a joke, but defense isn't where we've needed help. At all.

 

[FrenchFan]

I can't think of one area where the current staff are not in dire need of professional help - I would also add: a scrum specialist, and a psychologist.

Big E you should work for FFR. This is exactly the kind of response that would get you promoted

Why don't you leave out the defeats in say AIs as they don't count as much as say 6N hey :lol:

 

[Big Ewis]

I can't think of one area where the current staff are not in dire need of professional help - I would also add: a scrum specialist, and a psychologist.

just one ?

And the scrum was fine until Domingo and Mas just couldn't scrummage anymore. Neither has been great with their club even at Top 14 level since that 2014 turnaround for them. We were dominating in 2012 and 2013 all the same.

 

[FrenchFan]

yes just the one, and it's for the staff not the players :lol:

 

[FrenchFan]

And the scrum was fine until Domingo and Mas just couldn't scrummage anymore. Neither has been great with their club even at Top 14 level since that 2014 turnaround for them. We were dominating in 2012 and 2013 all the same.

It's time for new blood. Mas is over the hill. You should see the 5 forwards we have in the espoirs alongside Baille and Marchand, they can scrum.

 

[Big Ewis]

God bless this guy though (from your second favorite team in all the Top 14):



+ this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qVTAinJmHA


I just don't ever want to watch France with a poor scrum, ever. They've spoiled us with the most dominant specimens and traditional know-how for too long; they can't just drop to mediocre/bad.

And sorry but the Toulouse-biased man you are, I can't take your word for those youngsters in the academies. I need to SSEEE with my own eyes, taste my with tongue mmm well actually let's just stick to the eyes...

One guy who's a bit of a hope at TH is Antoine Guillamon in Oyonnax

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xft03lPKmSA

He was useless up until last year, but this year he's shown major improvements. I guess Toulouse just doesn't take care of some of its youngsters...
Wait n see...

 

[FrenchFan]

ah ah ah Toulouse doesn't take care of its youngsters blablabla. Ya CLOWN :lol:

They are better looked after than many youngsters at Marcroupis

Guillamon was on loan at Oyonnax from Toulouse. You have already watched Baille and Marchand. Rodrigue Neti is another one only 18.

You can also go and watch les espoirs play. You will see for yourself with your own little varois eyes. I'd avise to leave your tongue in. Some of our espoirs though still pimplish are rather big...don't know if they'd take well to some varois tourist with his tongue out...
That would involve getting off your varois arse and driving out of your Var bush into real rugby land :lol:

PS my 2nd favourite team is the Toulouse espoirs when the pros are not playing

 

[Big Ewis]

ok ok my bad, your third best team...
and wow wow wow easy on the Varois tag ! I'm essentially a Qatari/neutral French don't forget ! This Var thing is only secondary, don't focus all your repressed jealousy and hatred of Toulon or whatever Varois complexes you may have on little old me !!

So this is one long ass break now for Top 14 Rugby, ay ?.... :/
You might even have to admit you'll be watching the xv this weekend...or I might be going off board a little now..