France vs Bokke @ Paris

[Mank]

This is going to be an acid test for Coenie against arguably the strongest scrum we will come across this year. The French always bully us when we're playing them away.

Agreed, they do. The French love the physicality as much as the Boks, and I just don't trust how the scrum is devolving again. I was so hopeful the new engage pattern would sort it out, but again it's going down to who the ref decides to randomly blow for on the day.

My prediction, whoever dominates the scrum penalties (random number generator) will win this game. It's going to be a nerve-racking one.

Oh, and I'll be at the stadium

 

[PaarlBok]

France:
15 Brice Dulin, 14 Sofiane Guitoune, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Yoann Huget, 10 Remi Tales, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Wenceslas Lauret, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Pape, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Yannick Forestier.
Substitutes: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Thomas Domingo, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 20 Yannick Nyanga, 21 Jean-Marc Doussain, 22 Frederic Michalak, 23 Mathieu Bastareaud

 

[Ruggo]

Scrum battle will be a ripper in this game. Bokke scrum best it has been in years and we all know what the French are capable of.

Way to hard to tip this game. As a neutral, I look forward to it being a cracker.

 

[Blue]

Merde French by 3.

Fuck'em. Who in their right mind likes foie gras anyway?

 

[kiap]

Pitch getting shredded

 

[vidiot]

Hows this going? The vidiot box is now foxtel free

 

[kiap]

At HT: France 7 - 13 SA

 

[vidiot]

Ta!

 

[Hugh Jarse]

FT: 19 Bokke, 10 Les Frogge.

As they did against the Darkness, Les Blues lifted and made the Bokke work hard for their deserved victory.

 

[Bardon]

France have done really well this November for a team without confidence and a flyhalf. If they can find both they'll be one to avoid in the RWC come the knockout stages.

 

[Blue]

Surprised that we had the edge in the scrums. Coenie stepped up. Awesome.

We had no shape in attack. Seemed tentative. Frogs threw all their forwards into every breakdown but we didn't even try to look for space.

We sort of won in spite of ourselves.

Happy though. In years past we would have lost that game.

Good grinding win.

Etsebeth's ankle looked bloody serious.

 

[whatty]

Surprised that we had the edge in the scrums.

Bit more than a edge I would say. looked good.

What was wrong with that first disallowed try?

Never looked like we would loose this one, probably felt one of the easier wins in France despite it only been nine points.

Still a fail of a year in my books though. What could have been....

 

[Hawko]

Still a fail of a year in my books though. What could have been..

You're a hard marker. Only one of the greatest ever NZ sides were able to beat you. Now clearly 2nd on the IRU ladder.

 

[Ulrich]

You're a hard marker. Only one of the greatest ever NZ sides were able to beat you. Now clearly 2nd on the IRU ladder.

I think the moment we are too happy for being second best in the world is the day our rugby dies.

 

[Blue]

We were right in both those bloody AB tests.

Feckit.

 

[Ulrich]

We were right in both those bloody AB tests.

Feckit.

I always had the feeling we would win the Eden Park game beforehand and lose the Ellis Park test for some reason. Turns out we lost both but neither were particularly bad losses.

 

[Shiggins]

What's with the fucking French making the SA title AFS?

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Cause that is what they call them in their language - French.

Afrique du Sud.

 

[ChargerWA]

LOL

 

[whatty]

You're a hard marker. Only one of the greatest ever NZ sides were able to beat you. Now clearly 2nd on the IRU ladder.

Ulrich answered it.