France vs Wallabies, EOYT 2010

[fatprop]

I still have a big beef wrt the kicking.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the kicking in behind out wide was part of the game plan.

attack 10/12 channel with inside runners
Attack 13 channel with the ball put through on the ground
Put on a load of pressure
Get them to kick it out.
Re-start at lineout

 

[JJJ]

FARRRRK! Looks like I picked the wrong match to sleep through. Hopefully I can find somewhere on the net to watch a replay.

 

[Jnor]

I think it may well have been a part of the game plan but not one that was executed with any real consistency. It seems KB (Kurtley Beale) and QC (Quade Cooper) are the chief low percentage option takers, which I guess is a known quantity but shit some of them were very average.

One part that is probably worth more credit is our lineout - IIRR we won all of our own throws and one of theirs, very solid. How can one set-piece be so well polished and the other so shithouse?

While the French capitulated once we scored those two quick tries around the 50m mark the Wobs did what we've been screaming for all year and actually PUT THEM AWAY. For serious. That's the major positive for me, not taking the foot off and really pushing home once ahead. 1st half v 2nd was like two different games...

PS: JJJ I think a replay's starting one One about now...

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Sorry, equal 5th/6th with South Africa. In that scenario (England by 0-15, France by 16+) SA and Australia would both end up with 84.45 points, overtaken by England (84.48 ) and France (84.66).

That's if I'm reading this right: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A77380040

By my humble calcs (they were crap yesterday I think) the new rankings are:

1 NZRT 93.19
2 Men in Gold 87.3535
3 Saffers 86.18
4 Soap Dodgers 82.48
5 Garlic Munchers 81.6635
6 Scotch Drinkers 81.2
7 Spud Bashers 80.9 (Still to play)
8 Argies 79.87 (Still to play)
9 Leek Eaters 77.04
10 Samoa 74.02 (previously 11th)
11 Fiji 74 (previously 10th)
12 Azzuri 73.317


Potential movements
Ireland win
6 Spud Bashers 81.497 previously 7th [win by >15 = 81.6635]
7 Scotch Drinkers 81.2 previously 6th
8 Argies 78.467 [lose by >15 = 77.7655]

Draw
7 Spud Bashers 80.497
8 Argies 80.273

Argie Win
7 Argies 80.467 (previously 8th) [win by >15 = 80.7655]
8 Spud Bashers 79.497 (previously 7th) [lose by >15 = 78.7955]

 

[JJJ]

PS: JJJ I think a replay's starting one One about now...

Thanks for trying, but I seem to be having technical difficulties with my Austar connection due to having moved house. So I'll have to hope I can find a torrent of the game or, worst case scenario, a highlights reel from somewhere.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Very happy with that performance overall. The boys were under pressure this week and responded in the best way possible. That first try I thought was absolutely superb. Great ball from the top of the lineout, quick transfer, great inside ball from Berrick and over. That's great footy. The pack provided plenty of go forward possession and we were ruthless for a change. Even though we were level at half time, you just felt if we got the first score, then it was game over.


The good:
- Lineout was nearly perfect all night, as well as stealing some French ball, leading to a try no less
- Accuracy at the breakdown. We secured nearly all our possession and counter rucked a couple of times with real purpose
- The pick and drive game, especially in the first half, got us some good momentum. As the game wore on, the French pack really tired and we started scoring at will
- The defence was really solid, especially in the midfield. Barnes was brilliant there I thought.
- Chasing of the kicking was quick and they came up as a line, frequently putting the French under pressure
- Handling was good and the passing was generally pretty sympathetic, allowing guys to run on to the ball at pace
- The lines of running were beautiful, especially by AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper). He was very incisive all night
- We kicked well from the tee, keeping the points ticking over.

The bad:
- The scrum while Alexander was on. Some real concerns there. We need to get better and fast
- Some aimless kicking out of hand at times
- At times some too high body height in the carry but Sharpe and McCalman. Need to fix that.

Overall though, I don't know that there is much to complain about in a 59-16 result. We didn't win by accident and it wasn't luck. France weren't great, agreed, but sometimes you get dragged down to a poor teams level and that didn't happen last night. The boys stuck with it and got better as the game went on.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Thanks for trying, but I seem to be having technical difficulties with my Austar connection due to having moved house. So I'll have to hope I can find a torrent of the game or, worst case scenario, a highlights reel from somewhere.

If you get desperate, I have it recorded.

 

[Crow]

Very happy with that performance overall. The boys were under pressure this week and responded in the best way possible. That first try I thought was absolutely superb.

Same move which against Englnd led to JOC (James O'Connor) being smashed, wasn't it?

- Accuracy at the breakdown. We secured nearly all our possession and counter rucked a couple of times with real purpose

There is a concerning habit from the forwards to let the backs get counter-rucked on the wing. Twice we lost possession because they were lined up across the park. I think recognizing those situations could fix that.

The bad:
- The scrum while Alexander was on. Some real concerns there. We need to get better and fast
- Some aimless kicking out of hand at times

I think Robbie could make friends with Foley toot sweet, after that bad French display.
The kicking has been bad all tour. I think it's Cooper's second worst aspect at the moment and (I think) Mitchell kicked a shocker somewhere in there too.

 

[Gagger]

I have a sneaking suspicion that the kicking in behind out wide was part of the game plan.

attack 10/12 channel with inside runners
Attack 13 channel with the ball put through on the ground
Put on a load of pressure
Get them to kick it out.
Re-start at lineout

Agree. Think it was the answer to "they've got a massive lump at 13, what do you do?"

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Definitely Gags and FP. When you are faced with a big line in front of you, a good option is to try and turn them around. And that's what QC (Quade Cooper) did last night.

 

[Richard D. James]

Yeah, I've always liked the grubber to the corner tactic and we've been doing it for a while.

I think it's something that works well for us. We probe for a bit from left to right and if nothing's happening QC (Quade Cooper) (and tbf, Gits did this quite well) puts the grubber in.

In a perfect scenario, the winger regathers and runs off too score, or it goes out and we attack the lineout, or the oppo fullback/winger gathers it and we tackle him over the touch line, or they regather kick it out and we restart from a lineout, etc. etc.

I think its a very good percentage play.

 

[Jets]

Haven't read all 14 pages but just want to say How crap were France? Didn't look like causing the Wallabies any issues but at scrum time. Our defence had them covered every time they had the ball. They lost some rucks by one lone Wallaby player cleaning out (eg; BA in first half). They didn't work well as a defensive line. Didn't seem to have any great tactics on how to win the game.
Happy that the Wallabies won and that most people have put it in perspective.

 

[Gagger]

I think its a very good percentage play.

I think that's been a big improvement in itself. At the beginning of the 3Ns we had two speeds: balls-out or bust. Towards the end, and during much of this tour, more game control has been brought in, especially in the 3rd quarter.

The cross field kicks from Cooper together with these pressurising grubbers have steadily been getting better, and with an improving line-out (god bless you Stephen Moore) it's a great way of ramping up the pressure, rather than being stuck in our half

 

[Groucho]

I have a sneaking suspicion that the kicking in behind out wide was part of the game plan.

attack 10/12 channel with inside runners
Attack 13 channel with the ball put through on the ground
Put on a load of pressure
Get them to kick it out.
Re-start at lineout

I agree. Turn the big blokes round, and let them know they will be turned round by doing it consistently. Then watch their wide defence disintegrate.

 

[qwerty51]

The thing that pissed me off all game is that our forwards never run onto the ball. Shocking stuff really, the first thing you're taught besides how to catch is to start running before you receive the ball.

 

[Blue]

I agree. Turn the big blokes round, and let them know they will be turned round by doing it consistently. Then watch their wide defence disintegrate.

This game was a classic case of speed completely outdoing muscle. The Frogs picked a huge backline, thinking they can muscle through the Wallabies. They were made to look like amateurs.

Rougerie must be the worst choice ever at 13 by a French coach and if Lievremont gets heat for this game he deserves it. Also not picking a ten at ten made him look daft.

Also I said before the game that Chabal does not make sense at 8 against Australia. This is after seeing not only the tests but at least three Racing games where he played 8. He is too slow around the park.

 

[JJJ]

I'm as happy with this result as anyone, but a bit of rain and it probably would've been a different story. I suspect the frogs were banking on that. With good cause given the forecasts.

But I'll enjoy the win and spend the next week trying to scrounge up a replay.

 

[Jethro Tah]

He ran away from the tackle area very effectively, thus negating the need to actually tackle. Much.
I am fishing.

Spot on Cyclo. As per v Italy, he would hold the 10 channel until he made or attempted to make a tackle then would go to the wing until a turnover. I think it was in the game plan.

 

[JJJ]

Anyone else notice that 2 major pommy news-sites (telegraph + independent) haven't bothered to produce a match report for the France vs Wallabies match, despite managing one for Scotland vs Samoa? What's up with that?

 

[Jethro Tah]

Only just coming down off the high of being at the game and seeing the Wobs put a good pasting on the frogs. Twas a top night and a great team performance. My player performance comments are on the 321 thread so won’t repeat here.

Maybe seeing it live you tend to gloss over the rough patches but I really don’t understand some of the “can’t take much away from this performance” type comments. Sure they didn’t do everything right but that was because they were playing against France and not Namibia. I seem to recall a lot of posters saying before the start of the EOYT that after the Honkers dead rubber the game v France would be the most important, well - box ticked. Sure les bleus were coached more for an eye on trialling combos for the 6N rather than the WC but it was 16-13 at half time and we put 40+ points on the 6N champions. I’m 100% sure that the players and coaching staff will take a lot from this performance. Also, I’m not sure if the TV coverage showed it in full but after the game you could see that they were stoked, not in the manner of jump on JOC (James O'Connor) for the kick after the siren but more as a team. And there were comments about the depth of the French squad, think again.