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French spying

(3 posts)

  1. Ad Bot

    Posted 8 months ago

  2. chabaleatschildren
    Member

    I've just seen some French prognostics on the upcoming match. They were very enthusiastic and impressed with Canada's overall performance and I wouldn't be suprised to see contracts being offered in France to Cannucks. Secondly they pointed out the unity and team spirit that Canada showed which they can only envy for the moment since that is probably their single greatest weak point (thanks in large part to Lievermont's rotating door approach to selections). They have a lot of good players but no real collective bleu print.
    Fabien Galtier said Canada was at an unfair disadvantage in that it would be next to impossible for the team to be fully recovered from the Tonga match. They pointed out that they needed to exploit their technical suporiority in the pack (noting Marshall collapsing three times).

    The good news is that Thiery Dusautoir will not be starting (if I have understood correctly) and Damion Traill will be playing (he makes a lot of mistakes when he plays for the French team).

    Posted 8 months ago #

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    Posted 8 months ago

  4. Bandito
    Member

    Lievremont's their own worst enemy, I'm afraid.

    The short recovery times have been a thing for as long as I've been watching the rugby. People just have to deal with it and manage their teams / selections accordingly.

    French might benefit from our window, but we benefited from Tonga's.

    Posted 8 months ago #

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    Posted 8 months ago

  6. chabaleatschildren
    Member

    For anyone interested in post mortem analysis. I just picked up the French L'equipe sports paper with it's performance grades. For anyone familiar with English rugby rags, the out of 10 grading is always a little more severe in the French paper. Anyways here it is:

    Riordan 5
    Marshall 5
    Buydens 5
    Cudmore 5
    Sinclair 5.5
    Capenter 5
    O'Toole 4.5
    Sinclair 5.5
    Kleeburger 5
    Fairhurst 5.5
    Monro 6
    Fairhurst 5.5
    Smith 4.5
    Mackenzie 4
    Pritchard 3
    Van der Merwe 5
    Hearn 4

    Top scores for their own players were Bonaire and Clerc 6.5
    Bottom scores and especially severe (in my view) Ouedraogo and Mermoz 3.

    They credit Smith and VDM as being a good defensive duo as were Sinclair and Kleeburger in their own "less organized way".
    Fairhurst and Monro, they said, were very effective in their alternance of play and decsion making. They also say these two were able to put pressure on and frustrate the French formation and tactics.
    They also say that Canada payed dearly for its indiscipline in the 37th 39th and 40th minutes of the match.
    Pritchard could have changed the face of the game with more effective kicking.

    They conclude by saying the Canadian players, though courageous until late in the game, showed signs of fatigue and in some cases did not play to their full potential as they had against Tonga.

    ps
    I am just reporting as best I can what they say for anyone who might be interested by what French rugby reporters say about our team. I do not necessarilly hold the opinions. Don't shoot the translator

    Posted 8 months ago #

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