France v Wales: Build-up and match thread

[Ospreydragon]

First topic message reminder :

A very interesting opening weekend in the 6N. Good wins for Ireland and England, and a great one for Italy, who showed some nice touches and are devloping their play (unlike Wales).

Here's a typically hyperbolic journalist (or sub-editor's headline) in today's Express:

"Rob Howley Planning to Dump Failures"

http://www.sundayexpress.co.uk/posts/view/375256/Rob-Howley-planning-to-dump-failures

Nothing in the article to state who is going to be dumped, and no surprise there.

Will Howley have the cojones to drop some players? Jenkins, Shingler, and one of the centres? We'll see!

[wales606]

I actually quite like Sir CW,

maybe because he is complimenting the Welsh

[t1000advancedprototype]

Someone could actually win this tournament with 6 points.

Draw tomorrow would be nice!

[Shifty]

Best case scenario now, is that Wales won't get white washed. now is the perfect time to play Italy after that hammering by Scotland, With any luck Ireland will rought up Scotyland on the same week so their low in confidence for us too!

[t1000advancedprototype]

I actually quite like Sir CW,

maybe because he is complimenting the Welsh

I will never forgive him for omitting Henson and Shane Williams from Lions first test 2005.

[Casartelli]

lets not get carried away. we manage to be less crappe than france today

need to drop coombs, the props and faletau to bench for next game

[majesticimperialman]

Well Done Wales! Pretty gritty, slow paced game but better team won for sure. I expect away at Italy will be tougher game, this French team have been exceedingly poor.

France for the spoon that is wooden!!!

It is certainly looking like that.

[Poorfour]

Pretty ropey play in the red zone from both sides, but Wales produced the one decent moment of inspiration and deserved the win. They'll need to step up a lot to keep winning, though. Not much on display today that will unduly worry England or Ireland.

[Shifty]

I actually quite like Sir CW,

maybe because he is complimenting the Welsh

You mean the same idiot who was arrogant enough to boast on a train about England game plan before the 1999 game with a Welshman sitting behind who faxed it off to the WRU before the game which helped Wales no end...

The same idiot who threw the Welsh equitment out of the home changing room in Wembley to try and get under the welsh teams skin before kick off?

the same idiot with a few minutes to go who pranced around in front of theWelsh bench exclaiming loudly about putting the English ribbons on the 6 Nations cup, only for his team to lose it in the last minutes? lol

I can't stand the guy to be honest. One trick pony who revolutionised rugby only by copying the rugby league coaching system and bring in specialised coaches, and was lucky enough to coach England when they had a golden generation of rugby players.

[thebluesmancometh]

Anyone mentioning France for the spoon after round 2 has no idea or is just trying to play down a Wales win in Paris!!!

As I said earlier Spoon and GS talk means jot until round 4!!!!

[wales606]

lets not get carried away. we manage to be less crappe than france today

need to drop coombs, the props and faletau to bench for next game

I wouldn't drop Faletau, Lydiate won't be fit and Warburton shouldn't return to the starting team.

AWJ in for Coombs would be my only change, although I would actually like to see more of L.Williams (never thought I would say that again)

[thebluesmancometh]

Whoa whoa whoa Wales

I hear the Williams bandwagon starting but Phillips wan't bad (again) and proved vital in the firt half, watch his cover defence again!!!!

I'll admit Williams wasn't bad, but once again he only showed when our pack gained dominance, I am miles from wanting to see more of Williams, especially after the hissy fit on 79th minute!!!

[nobbled]

I actually quite like Sir CW,

maybe because he is complimenting the Welsh

You mean the same idiot who was arrogant enough to boast on a train about England game plan before the 1999 game with a Welshman sitting behind who faxed it off to the WRU before the game which helped Wales no end...

The same idiot who threw the Welsh equitment out of the home changing room in Wembley to try and get under the welsh teams skin before kick off?

the same idiot with a few minutes to go who pranced around in front of theWelsh bench exclaiming loudly about putting the English ribbons on the 6 Nations cup, only for his team to lose it in the last minutes? lol

I can't stand the guy to be honest. One trick pony who revolutionised rugby only by copying the rugby league coaching system and bring in specialised coaches, and was lucky enough to coach England when they had a golden generation of rugby players.

Pint of bitter?

[Guest]

Same team for Italy?

I like the idea of Mitchell, James, Owens and Warburton off the bench.

After Murrayfield we can crucify Italy.

What?! That's the sort of talk that will get us a big fat loss. We were gash generally today. Contained a poor France and got a good try. But generally, we were poor too. Not much invention behind, out of ideas half the time. We must play very well to beat Italy. They are not too shabby, especially at home.

[Shifty]

Pint of bitter?

It's an ale emote, but I'll have half a dozen, I dislike Woodward that much

[wales606]

Whoa whoa whoa Wales

I hear the Williams bandwagon starting but Phillips wan't bad (again) and proved vital in the firt half, watch his cover defence again!!!!

I'll admit Williams wasn't bad, but once again he only showed when our pack gained dominance, I am miles from wanting to see more of Williams, especially after the hissy fit on 79th minute!!!

I wouldn't start him, but Phillips passing was dire at times (although the rest of his game was very good), I just wouldn't actually start screaming if he came of the bench at 60 if we have a good lead or Phillips isn't playing well

[Casartelli]

phillips was our best player! faletau good in open game when wales going well. too light in this kind of game. warbs, jones and tipuric for next match

adam and melon on bench, drop coombs as no power whatsoever

[thebluesmancometh]

Cas

I only partly agree, Falatau is still lightweight, and Coombs will always struggle for a few more seasons!!!

[Casartelli]

toby good if we ever play running rugby

coombs good for premiership

[Shifty]

Whoa whoa whoa Wales

I hear the Williams bandwagon starting but Phillips wan't bad (again) and proved vital in the firt half, watch his cover defence again!!!!

I'll admit Williams wasn't bad, but once again he only showed when our pack gained dominance, I am miles from wanting to see more of Williams, especially after the hissy fit on 79th minute!!!

theres a big difference between coming on at the end of a game when everyone is tired and starting a game and taking the beating all the way through.

I remember so many times over the years when people were calling for the head of a scrum half after the sub came on and played better only for the reserve to finally get the start and the sub again comes off the bench as has a stormer.

[thebluesmancometh]

Ye I agree Shifty, Wil;liams is getting a rub of the green right now as he is coming off the bench when Wales are strongest (late on) and he's getting the plaudits, rewatch what he actually does and it's not pretty!!!

[Duty281]

Well done Wales, France are in the mud now. 2 losses out of 2, trip to Twickers next!

[ChequeredJersey]

Well won Wales. I disagree, thought Phillips made some physical runs but he just isn't a good enough passer of the ball- he got quick ball from his back row today but he still can't pass without a hesitation, where he does this weird bob thing or pass off the deck. Halfpenny is class, North showed a fantastic finishing ability and Biggar had (a couple of kicks aside) a really good game, esp impressed with his running as I had heard that was a weakness but his kicking game and the vision for the try were spot on. Ryan Jones had a stormer, promising signs.

France were terrible. Hope they keep this up at Twickers

[Guest]

I agree also. I've seen Phillips come off the bench and look lightening and ask the question 'why did we drop him'!

[Coleman]

Am i the only one who thought that Coombs played well? He is playing out of position. I'd like to see him at 6. With AWJ and Evans in the row!

[Casartelli]

Am i the only one who thought that Coombs played well? He is playing out of position. I'd like to see him at 6. With AWJ and Evans in the row!

i'd like to see him in the premiership

[Coleman]

Meow!

[Luckless Pedestrian]

Well there you go. France bent over for us and after 70 minutes of ramming it into her thigh, we finally hit the jackpot by mistake.

Don't get me wrong, a win is better than a defeat, but I haven't seen a more toothless performance from a Welsh back division in a long, long time. The worst thing is that now Howley and Mark Jones will take the victory as a vindication of their tactics.

This was a match between the two least threatening attacks in the tournament.

[Guest]

Am i the only one who thought that Coombs played well? He is playing out of position. I'd like to see him at 6. With AWJ and Evans in the row!

i'd like to see him in the premiership

Where did you feel he went wrong?

[wales606]

Coombs played well enough, he should be on the bench, but he is no AWJ and doesn't help the scrum

[Guest]

It is very very hard to tell if the 2nd row is the reason the loosehead in front of him is struggling. Unless you're the prop. Did Gethin say that the reason he was munched in the scrum was because Coombs wasn't pushing?

He was good in the loose. Good in defence, disrupted play, got over the gain line wit ball in hand.

[Casartelli]

Am i the only one who thought that Coombs played well? He is playing out of position. I'd like to see him at 6. With AWJ and Evans in the row!

i'd like to see him in the premiership

Where did you feel he went wrong?

he gives it 100% and in fairness when he was getting smashed backwards in contact he didn't actually turnover the ball. except when dusautoir threw him into touch like he was under 12 player. if determined to play him then play him in his best position of 6, but i think at best he's a solid, honest, premship journeyman

[thebluesmancometh]

Agree with wales (strangely happening often) Coombs did all he could, but he is still lacking at int level.

He is playing exceptionally well though considering his level of development

[Guest]

Am i the only one who thought that Coombs played well? He is playing out of position. I'd like to see him at 6. With AWJ and Evans in the row!

i'd like to see him in the premiership

Where did you feel he went wrong?

he gives it 100% and in fairness when he was getting smashed backwards in contact he didn't actually turnover the ball. except when dusautoir threw him into touch like he was under 12 player. if determined to play him then play him in his best position of 6, but i think at best he's a solid, honest, premship journeyman

You've described some of Ryan jones' play too, apart from jones' great work on the floor. Jones got smashed back a number of times because he went to high into the tackle. But yes, I don't think he's a top 2nd row. However, he didn't have a bad game at all IMO.

[Taffineastbourne]

Coombs is a very good player.He has filled a void at 4 more then ably.If AWJ is fit for Italy game I would move him to his natural position 6,Ryan to 8 and bench Toby.
It was clearly shown today that Italy were not as good as France were bad in their game last week so we should travel to Italy with confidence.
Halfpenny needs to buy an Aussie phrase book as he is a class apart at 15.
SCW on the telly has reminded me just why I loathed him back in the day.A very unpleasant individual.
I am pleased with the Win but I still long to see us play to our potential.

[t1000advancedprototype]

Who looked the most dejected at full time?

James Hook! He did not look happy!

He's lost the Ospreys 10 and Wales 10 to Biggar.

[Ospreydragon]

"What's the point of making changes at the 79th minute? " -- Cari, it's to give the subs the added confidence of being part of a winning team, especially in France (that, and probably the win bonus!).

[Ospreydragon]

A great win for Wales, but there are two things the sides have in common:

-- a lack of confidence
-- poor selections by the coaching staff. For France, to have a player like Fofana on the win is simply ludicrous. For Wales, we must have more creativity in midfield; failing that, the centres have to show more distribution skills and footwork.

Nevertheless, the coaching team deserves praise for preparing a team that was so gutsy in defence. 1/2p continues to shine, but all the players put in a big effort today. Ryan was immense, as was Ian E and 1/2 p.. A great kick by Biggar for the try, a superb finish by North (who showed great finishing skill and a great awareness of the very limited space to score) and great kicking by halfpenny. I also thought Mike P made a great effort, even though his weaknesses in passing are always apparent.

[thebluesmancometh]

t1000

Not sure exactly what your problem is but Hook hasn't been at the Ospreys for a while mate, if your pretending to be Welsh at least read up

[t1000advancedprototype]

t1000

Not sure exactly what your problem is but Hook hasn't been at the Ospreys for a while mate, if your pretending to be Welsh at least read up

I know when Hook left the Ospreys!!! I'm just saying that it's not the first time he's lost the 10 shirt to Biggar.

Hooks lack of time playing for Wales plus Biggars involvement in the try may not have helped Hooks mood.

[thebluesmancometh]

So Biggar kicking away posession in the opposition 22 and lucking out on a bounce will prove Hook out of favour?

I don't think you even know where the Liberty is!

[majesticimperialman]

Wales did not look like they could win today to be honest. but in every game there is a certain amount of luck. and Wales got that certain amount of luck with a beautiful chip kick for George North.

Like i said before Well played Wales.

[thebluesmancometh]

Have to agree with maj, we didn't look like scoring, but I disagree the chip was beautifull, it was more luck of the bounce than beauty!!

We won because France were poor, and both teams were trying too hard not to lose!!

[RubyGuby]

Wales did not look like they could win today to be honest. but in every game there is a certain amount of luck. and Wales got that certain amount of luck with a beautiful chip kick for George North.

Like i said before Well played Wales.

[Cyril]

A good win for Wales. A bit of a stodgy game against a really poor French side, but it was good for Wales to finally get a win.

England should really put France to the sword at HQ.

[thebluesmancometh]

Or get beat by 30!

[Ospreydragon]

RubyGuby, How a rugby ball bounces inevitably involves a certain amount of luck. I'm not a fan of Biggar, but if Dan carter had done that for the All Blacks and Asvea or Dagg had scored, people would rave about it. It was avery good kick and a brilliant, superb finish in a very tight space by North, who deserves huge credit for not putting his body in touch before scoring.

[Cyril]

Or get beat by 30!

No chance. This could well have been the wooden spoon decider today and Wales dodged that (just).

[wales606]

Have to agree with maj, we didn't look like scoring, but I disagree the chip was beautifull, it was more luck of the bounce than beauty!!

We won because France were poor, and both teams were trying too hard not to lose!!

The ball didn't bounce

I was brilliant skill and vision by both Biggar and North

[Ospreydragon]

"I was brilliant skill and vision by both Biggar and North" -- Totally agree. It was a very impressive finish by North -- who is clearly a very skilled player.

[RubyGuby]

RubyGuby, How a rugby ball bounces inevitably involves a certain amount of luck. I'm not a fan of Biggar, but if Dan carter had done that for the All Blacks and Asvea or Dagg had scored, people would rave about it. It was avery good kick and a brilliant, superb finish in a very tight space by North, who deserves huge credit for not putting his body in touch before scoring.

I agree - why you aiming this at me - the chip was a good option and executed to perfection - I'm laughing at Maj and his comments - This game was similar to the O's v Ulster last night. Both Ulster and France never looked like scoring a try

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