French Running Rugby

[Bruwheresmycar]

I was catching up on the top14 and came across this game. Some great tries and an amazing finish, (hint: An Aussie is involved )

Try #2 (starts about 1min in) was my favorite, "multi-phase" isn't the right word, more like "infinite phase".

Enjoy

 

[FrankLind]

Here is another one set to some great music. Somehow listening to it in French makes it seem cooler.

However, I think the French national side haven't shown this kind of flair for years and years.

 

[wamberal]

I have been watching the Top 14 highlights for a while. Terrible, on the whole.


The French used to play wonderfully unstructured, daring, rugby (with a fair bit of dirt as well). Tough, mobile forwards, and creative backs. For the most part, those days appear to be over.

 

[tigerland12]

French rugby is how I see the Wallabies, except worse. They have all the potential and ability to play expansive entertaining rugby, but are trenched in these boring gameplans.

In the Top Quatorze there only a few teams that play this expansive style, namely Toulouse. Toulon, Clermont and Montpellier have their days where they turn it on, but that is dependent on who their starting players are. If Francois Trinh-Duc is starting for Montpellier they play more attacking, same when the likes of Giteau and Michalak are for Toulon.

I think the mindset of forward domination has dominated the French, and it isn't helped by the increases in the amount of Argentine and Georgian tight forwards.

Still I do watch the competition regularly, but mainly when the aformentioned teams are playing. ALLE TOULOUSE!

 

[kronic]

Watch the highlights from the Bordeaux v Toulouse game last weekend, there's plenty of running Rugby.

 

[Bruwheresmycar]

Watch the highlights from the Bordeaux v Toulouse game last weekend, there's plenty of running Rugby.

Good find, nice game.

The top 14 isn't as full on as super rugby. But their season is much longer and the talent base is mainly from one country (obviously each team imports a few players, but still predominantly french). So they have their awesome games, they just aren't as often. But in a way that makes them even more exciting when they do occur.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Thanks for the vids fellas. I've long had a love of the way the French play the game and their club rugby has been some of the most watchable you'd want to see. I do agree though that the national team have largely eschewed the attacking flair of old and play a no-risk conservative style. More is the pity I say. Nowhere was that more apparent than the game in 2010 where they picked a team full of hulks, hoping to bash the Wallabies into submission. Backfired beautifully and we gave them a lesson in running rugby

 

[kronic]

Heineken Cup this weekend, some cracking games.

Toulouse vs Leicester, 2am Monday morning.