Well yes Gagger you're right, part of the reason it looked like our backs were scoring such simple tries was because of the forward dominance - we were rock's in defense and rolling thunder in offense, which gave our backline that much space to move. When the forwards work, the backline needs no invite.
Well said spikaza and Gagger: I watched the whole game again a couple of days ago and the forwards underwrote the performance. The French pack had gimpses of dominance, especially earlier when Chabal was doing his thing but our guys didn't let them cause too much damage.
I thought the scrum débâcle would translate to elsewhere in forward play, but it didn't. The replacement of Alexander, who should not play at THP again IMO, and Fat Cat coming on, plus Slipper moving over to the right hand side, helped the Oz scrum. So did the forced retirement of hooker Servat just before oranges and the rotation of LHP Domingo not too long after them. Having said that you'd think that what the French had remaining: the Perpignan front row, would have twisted the knife more than they did.
Some other thoughts:
• Oz rugby should bottle AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)'s right arm fend. It created the Fat Cat try when palming off the French fullback; however Porical is of the line of Garbajosa and no great kudos was earned. But the palming off of Jauzion, a split second after stepping Rougerie, was an astonishing thing. When he got the ball again moments later, his palming of skipper Dusautoir led to the try of Genia.
Regardless of which side has the ball Dusautoir is one of the great French players, as is Jauzion, who had the mortification of being hooked following the Sanchez try. AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) should be a nominee for the Palme d'Or.
• We are accustomed to lauding Pocock, the fetcher, and Pocock the dominant tackler but we don't, or at least I don't, give enough kudos to Pocock the ball-runner.
• We should stop using Mitchell as the designated left foot kicker when clearing from our 22 and players are running to their left. One was charged down by Rougerie and another went out directly into touch after being passed back over the 22. This led to the scrum penalty try and Alexander's card. Better a box kick earlier in the piece as Kafer mentioned, but if a LF kicker has to be used: Barnes and Cooper are quite decent with their wrong foot.
• On another day we might have said that we kicked away too much pill, both with the un-Aussie up-and-unders and kicking through for runners to score - but didn't they work a treat?
• Coaches will look at this game not only to counter us, but also to learn how to score tries against a team that was the deserved 6N winner earlier in the year. Putting aside pig stuff, one thing that will be crystal clear is the benefit of straight running. This was exemplified by AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and Beale but it was also orchestrated by conductor Barnes, who is becoming a man for all seasons. How the French wingers would have loved to have played with our backs that night.
• The French would have looked at the England backs, and the likes of Easter, running at Cooper a couple of weeks before - but they hardly ever did. The only tackle I can recall his missing was right at the beginning of the game and I thought a lot more targeting would take place. The trouble was that their boofhead flyhalf Traille could not even launch limited movements like that - let alone try scoring stuff.
• I still can't work out why the French forwards didn't do more and saying that we didn't let them doesn't really answer. Nor can the absence of the excellent lock Nallet explain why we beat them at the coal face - we would have liked the presence of Horwill.
Nor can I work out how our forwards can play like that but were an embarrassment at Twickenham. That their forwards didn't allow ours to perform physically doesn't answer that question either.
Still, better to finish the tour with the France victory than the England loss.
