He also owns a takeaway food business in tandem with Bernie.

Oh it's when I said "He's an individual who reigns supreme on the game" I didn't mean it like he rules over the team as a boss figure, I meant he's considered the talented genius on the team. It's a well known fact the boss in France is the 9. But the French fan for his money at 10 basically wants a Fred Michalak with a little bit better good game/bad game ratio. They see the 10 (as every position for that matter) as a guy who must from his own personal initiative splash the team of his unique creativity, flaunt his talents to the entire nation as a purely individual entity. They want a romantic misunderstood genius, a sheer individual. His improvisations are random, muse-inspired. So what if he gets a bad game every month and fails in the more important games, it's artistic inspiration, whaddyagonna do.

In other nations, it's better understood the 10 is merely part of a system and his talents need to be at a good enough level (through mechanical repetition and work ethic) that the staff can implement the game plan sorted for the team. Veryyyyy different mentalities.

Anyhow, all these talks about corrupt FFR leaders and no more rugby... So sad...

We're facing Scotland. How can we beat them? How can they beat us?

Cut one hand and one leg off each Scottish player. This may sound like a bit of an exaggeration but I really think we would still be at risk of losing the game if we only cut one of their limb off.

And perversely if you cut off one hand of each Fre player, they'd see it as a challenge in adversity + being the underdog and a chance of winning.

Score more points (works both ways).

Apparently Brunel would have Camara again at flanker with Tauleigne starting at 8. I would imagine seeing Macalou's performances vs Camara for clubs (if the current staff really does pay attention closely... which yes, is legitimately questionable) and then being there at training watching both perform specimens right in front of them, they would surely tilt towards Macalou... but apparently, no.

Camara has got to be one of the top 3 most overrated players in the Top 14, maybe even 'the' most when you consider he's THE highest paid in a league that comprises the Fekitoa, Vermeulen, Dupont, Vitto, Tuisova, Picamoles, Fofana and co. Just one of these strangely unbalanced situations.

I still find it hard to believe he's the highest paid player. Another indicator of how mental/broken T14 is.

PS Fekitoa is overrated. He's in the same camp as Ranger: a defensive liability.

Isn't he the highest paid FRENCH player?

an article by Merdol:

https://www.rugbyrama.fr/rugby/xv-de-france/2017-2018/les-franchisseurs-c-est-pour-quand_sto6543458/story.shtml

I actually disagree that the team lacked players who can break the advantage line. Players like Poirot, Guirado, Vahaamahina, Gourdon, Belleau, Lamerat, Wakatawa or Thomas can do this, either though sheer power or elusive running.


I think it is more a philosophy that Brunel wanted. He played Ireland as the underdog with a deliberate focus on tight defense and conservative rugby. The problem is the number of fouls we committed, which caused us to waste regularly the little possession we managed to get.

Hmm. Kinda agree. The one attacking thing Fra has had throughout this malaise is what you say: in fact, the 2 even more capable are Pica and Galan.

BUT the problem is we are talking breaking the gainline using force and that is considerably harder to do against well organised defences when you get slow ball. And this ignores the really useful gainline breaks: running into space. Other than Thomas, I suspect no-one beat a single defender on Sat.

15 defenders beaten last week, 6 by Thomas, 5 by Vakatawa.

Would be interesting if Scotland make the mistake to give Chavancy some space. Hope the French adapt and instead of looking for the wingers systematically, they go through the center.

Source: https://www.scottishrugbyblog.co.uk/2018/02/scotland-v-france-match-preview/

I wish we could get that quality of journalism in France.

As long as France carry around a JBE for attacks coach, they won't reach a level that is acceptable for Test Rugby with their gainline success anyways. You can throw in this or that or this player, it might help for a given game but the focus is again so much on the individual, where the problem is certainly elsewhere.

More particularly, against Scotland for me though, obviously they should start Macalou and Picamoles, how could that possibly be a bad idea ??.. and Danty at 12. If you want some gainline success, you're gonna want to start those three not Camara and a jittery Doumayrou, Jacques..

Potentially, according to rumours:


1. Poirot
2. Guirado (c)
3. Slimani
4. Vahaamahina
5. Gabrillagues
6. Camara
7. Gourdon
8. Tauleigne
9. Machenaud
10. Beauxis
11. Vakatawa
12. Lamerat
13. Doumayrou
14. Thomas
15. Palis

16. Pélissier, 17. Priso, 18. Gomez SA, 19. Iturria, 20. Lauret, 21. Couilloud, 22. Belleau, 23. Fall

I hope it rains ...

Personally I'm happy in anticipation to watch this game. Given the complexion of the match round 1 was a performance with a positive feel. If only the players can withstand and cancel out the crushing disappointment, they've got something to build on.

Under Noves, the first tournament was horrendous but the June tour had that large victory, after that it felt if France regrouped they now had something to work on. I've got that feeling, may be wrong, hope not, right now about watching this xv de France. There are too many weights dragging it down, but this is a team that I feel I can get behind, and really actually support again. Even under PSA, the possibility of winning matchday test was lurking and did actually occur.
I think this point is essential: the supporter needs to feel instinctively, from the inside, like there's reason to watch the game. It's what the french fan had following the 2011RWC knock out stages. I feel that right now for Scotland, I feel France have the resources to actually win it and wouldn't be surprised if they did, or at least come close.

The sad situation is that the country with the richest rugby pro league is considered the underdog when coming up against a country that has only 2 professional teams.

It is beyond sad. Ranked 10th in the world is just not acceptable with the resources available. A bit of make-up wont this time though.

They have 5 years to turn things around.

Tauleigne with potential flu... I blame those who just joined the group. Yionel!!!

Seriously, I feel sorry for Marco, he's a powerhouse with a really good offload.

I think you are being a bit biased here Torque. France only had 32% possession, gained a lot of ground on the rare attacks the launched wide. But the way the game was played, there was little for the backs to express their talent.

Meanwhile, at Rugbyrama, the leading article is about the 2004 game... That's how desperate they are to find something positive to print.

Interesting article in today's L'Equipe about how the SRU bloods young prospects who can't get first team rugby in a pro club in Scotland by sending them to Nice in Federal 2. They have an agreement with Nice that works well for both parties. Why doesn't the FFR do that with Federal 1 and Pro D2 clubs. Select a group of 15 young prospects, put them on a federal contract and make them available for free in several clubs?

BOD getting trolled by the Boucherie crowd after daring to doubt Yionel!

https://twitter.com/BrianODriscoll/stat ... 8784897029

U20 HT
Sco 0 v 33 Fra

Weak opponents but on an artificial surface, so far this is one of the most complete performances I've ever seen from a Fre team.

19-69 final score.

A little bit of silliness and a lineout weakness allowed the Scots some reprieve (sub hooker had a bit of a 'mare) but a stunning performance nonetheless. Sco bummed again at this level which shows that despite all the other arguments, Fra has enough decent players at this level. It's just when T14 and Fre coaches get a real hand on them that they will lose to Scotland when they meet again in 3 or 4 years.

alors, expliquez moi un truc... vu que j'ai pas de réseau social machin de la merde quoi... c'est des vrais trucs ça ? o'driscol, galthié et cie, et des mecs lambda, tout ce beau monde se troll en public ?
C'est les vrais mecs et les vrais ... hmmm... argh... euhh... "conversations" ??

Si oui, putain mais comme je fais bien de me tenir loin de tout ça. RI-DI-CULE (voir le film éponyme, mais worldwide, permanent et temps-réel maintenant donc).

?????????????????????

Just some lads having a craic.

ok, donc ça veut dire pas les vrais types c'est ça ??

en fait on peut créer n'importe quel pseudo pour 2 secondes de connerie ou quoi ?

This is not meant as an insult to anyone, but there's no two ways about it: it's stupid, just plain stupid... to think France has lacked talent since their post-2011 crisis. At any level. You tune in to watch French Rugby, whatever it is, Top14, Challenge Cup, Champions Cup, U20, women, Six Nations... there are top level props and hookers, huge dominant packs, talented halfbacks, and an abundance of talented players in the backlines, and whenever a big name player goes down, you tune in the next week to find another just as good, and then 5 more big injuries and then 5 more names pop out of nowhere and there's no net drop in level. There's been countless cases during that 6-7 year span when a first choice player has gone down and another player came in as replacement and all of a sudden the fans now wanted that guy to be first choice.

Throw in foreign technicians who can harness the potential and you're good. It starts, and stops there. It just does.
Yesterday just another day at the office for French talent, it just worked out particularly well this time but nothing new.

vous allez pas le croire, mais j'ai lu "and an ambulance of talented players in the backlines"

Shirley the French U20s are coached by, um, French coaches?

let's see here...
remember this ?



look at the tries scored, the times Yep, statistically, that's a French-coached team alright, yes sirrrrr indeed positively.

haha genre 0-33 en quasi 1ère mit-temps et 26-3 en se réveillant après la bataille.