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Posted 73 days ago
JUST LIKE his French counterpart Kidney is a man under pressure. At the beginning of the tournament, it was expected the fourth round in Dublin would be a defining moment in the tournament but instead of either team going for the Championship, it was a battle to avoid the bottom of the table.
Posted 74 days ago
France remain winless in the 2013 RBS 6 Nations as their visit to Dublin resulted in a draw. On a wet, grey day in the Irish capital, the hosts were the ones who initially looked to be gritting their teeth, and were rewarded on the scoreboard in the first half, earning a 13-3 lead by half-time. Ireland came out of the changing room full of confidence at the start of the second half, only to lose their way in the third quarter of the game.
Posted 84 days ago
“IF YOU any good ideas, give them to me,” said Philippe Saint-Andre in the aftermath of Saturday’s Six Nations defeat to England. The coach of France was responding to a question from a French journalist about the search for a No 10, the problem position for the Blues for the last couple of seasons. Actually, it’s been France’s problem position for years, decades, even. The evidence? Look at the all-time list of Test top points scorers – not one Frenchman in the top 20, the only nation from the Big Ten not represented.
Posted 92 days ago
IN THE letters page of the latest issue of Midi Olympique one irate reader has addressed the editor in no uncertain terms on why the Top 14 isn’t helping the national side: ‘Limit the Number of Foreigners’ his rant begins. Oh, the irony! For this Saturday at Twickenham France will be hoping that one of these same etrangers can get in among the English back-row.
Posted 105 days ago
PHILIPPE SAINT-ANDRE has kept faith with his fumbling French side for the visit of Wales to the Stade de France on Saturday evening. Instead of bringing down the guillotine on the heads of players following their stunning defeat to Italy on Sunday the French coach has made just unenforced change. Mathieu Bastareaud replaces Florian Fritz in the centre, the big man’s first start for France since he played against England in the 2010 Six Nations.
Posted 112 days ago
ROMAIN TAOFIFENUA is a big lad. Just how big remains something of a mystery. According to which paper you read in France, his weight in the last few months has fluctuated between 125 kgs and 133 kgs. Then again, assuming the official Perpignan website hasn’t got a wonky set of scales, Taofifenua comes in at an eye-wateringly impressive 140kg, making him in all probability the heaviest player in professional rugby.
Posted 189 days ago
THE GREATEST challenge facing France on Saturday in Lille isn’t the Pumas – strong as they’ll be – but the French themselves. “We will see if we’re capable of stringing together two top quality performances,” said coach Philippe Saint-Andre whose only change to the side that beat Australia is the return of Yoann Maestri at lock in place of Jocelino Suta.
Posted 443 days ago
THE Sunday Times ran a piece last weekend in which Rugby World’s very own Stephen Jones interviewed Philippe Saint-André. The coach of France was his normal affable self, buttering up the English ahead of Sunday’s encounter byacknowledging his “debt to England rugby” on account of the formative years he spent coaching at Gloucester and Sale.
Posted 445 days ago
France clawed their way back from an 11-point deficit to draw with Ireland in the rearranged RBS 6 Nations fixture at the Stade de France. The men in green started well, and Tommy Bowe scored two tries in the first half, silencing the French crowd. But Wesley Fofana scored his third Championship try in the 51st minute, and the swing in momentum saw France even the scores thanks to Morgan Parra’s boot. Ireland couldn’t convert a surge of pressure into points in the final quarter of the match, as France’s defence proved to be water tight.
Posted 465 days ago
By Bea Asprey, Rugby World Writer
VINCENT CLERC had issued a warning days before France were due to host Ireland at the Stade de France that the freezing temperatures in Paris could render the pitch unsafe to play on. So why was a contingency plan not immediately put into place, and why was it left until kick-off time on the…
