Do these teams even have a coach?
Wed, Feb 25, 2009, Posted by Vic Drover 
French Coach Marc Lievremont
OK, I don’t usually make predictions, but is anyone else expecting Toby Flood and Benoit Baby to crash the English and French totally out of the 2009 Six Nations? It’s as if the ‘coaches’ looked at Italy’s failed experiment with flanker Mauro Bergamasco at scrumhalf and said:
Ya, let’s give that a try. Maybe we can make it work
To start, Baby is a center, not a fly half. I admit I am a long-time supporter of les bleus, but I think coach Marc Lievremont has finally lost the last of his remaining marbles. Time to stop the endless combinations of key players and start producing real results on the pitch.
As for Flood, at least he normally plays in the #10 jumper. But Andy Goode has performed very well and kept England close so far in the tournament. It was a mistake to keep Goode off the pitch after being sent to the sin bin against Wales and It is a mistake to start Flood against a very determined Irish side. Both decisions reflect pretty poorly on Johno who appears to still be a little uncomfortable in his role as Manager.
In addition, it’s not like this strategy has been used successfully in the past by either team. Between them, France and England swap fly-halves more often than Jonathon Kaplan overlooks Welsh penalties! In any case, I’d happily eat humble pie in return for competitive rugby.
Of course that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong (but not likely).
Tags: England, France, Six Nations
You’re not wrong on your predictions (maybe the French one because
they are very talented at many other positions), but your assesment
is way off base. Bergamasco was a flanker who was used at scrum
half, hardly the same thing as a center playing #10. I also wonder
what matches you’ve been watching when you say “Andy Goode has
performed very well”. His kicking was dreadful against Italy and he
didn’t play long enough against Wales to suggest he played well, or
poorly. It was never suggested either that Goode’s sin bin had
anything to do with Johnno selecting Flood over Goode. I by no
means think Flood is an upgrade over Goode, it’s a downgrade for
sure. I simply don’t think this change will hurt or help England.
England’s entire back line, with the exception of maybe
Paul Sackey is pretty bad anyway so does the insertion of Flood
really damn their chances anymore than Goode being in their. I’ll
concede that Goode is a better kicker but does anyone really think
this match, based on how both teams have played think that this
match will come down to kicking? I wouldn’t be the least bit
shocked if France came away with a victory. They are playing in
Paris don’t forget, never an easy place for visiting teams to win.
What other reason was there to take out Goode in the Wales match unless it was related to his 'perceived' performance, which from my chair looked pretty good. Johno is still waiting for Wilco to return and you know it
It was obviously related to his perceived performance, but I
doubt it had anything to do with his yellow card. Mike Tindall
was yellow carded and he returned. Try turning your chair around so
it’s facing the TV that may help your assessment. There’s no doubt
Johnson is waiting for Wilco to return, which may never even
happen. But if he thinks Wilco will be able to save English rugby,
dark days are ahead.
Baby is a very polyvalent player. He plays for the club of my
hometown (Clermont) He is a center but over the past 2 years he
played maybe 5 games as a center. He spent the rest as a Full back
and sometimes as a Fly Half. But iagree with you on one thing
Marc Lievremont is Dumb… there is plenty of Fly Half available
and he just left them home…
Welcome Nicolas!
I still feel that the low player retention by the French National team gives France quite a lot of depth in regards to their talent pool. That's great for domestic rugby (just look at England for a contrast) but ultimately prevents the team from taking home the big wins.
Looks like you should stick with NOT making predictons. The French
looked impressive yesterday in a game that was much closer than it
should’ve been. While Baby didn’t even last a half, his kicking
prior to his exit was superb and giving Wales fits. The French have
slipped a bit since the RWC 2007, but they were playing for the 6
Nations championship last year and are still in it for this years.
Their recent test matches weren’t great but considering France lost
some of their veteran talent and leadership and their superstar
winger Vincent Clerc to a serious injury, I’d as they’re doing just
fine. Calling Lievremont dumb is quite a stretch and he clearly
silenced his critics at lest for this week.
One win amongst a lot of losses does not silence critics. If France can be consistent in a series of Tests, that will silence us (and I will happily be silenced).
Baby did kick well, but France really turned it on when Trinh-Duc took the field in place of him. In my opinion, it was the 14 guys on the pitch without a '10' on their jumper that took the match for the home side.
And I'm sure you are following the English match (only 20 minutes left in the match …) !
RE: ENG v IRE
63:00 – Andy Goode replaces Flood at fly-half, while Dylan Hartley comes on for Lee Mears at hooker.
Trivai question #187365: Who orchestrated England's only try vs. Ireland in the 2009 Six Nations Championship (choose one only)?
A. Toby Flood
B. Martin Johnson
C. Danny Cipriani
D. Andy Goode
E. Johnny Wilkinson
A lot of losses? What are we defining as a lot. Yes they lost their
autumn test matches but guess what? So did all of the Northern
Hemisphere teams. You can’t use those against only France because
Wales, England and Ireland were beaten by the Southern Hemisphere
teams as well. No one has questioned Gatland’s or Kidney’s
selections so lets at least hold everyone to the same standard.
France is 2-1 so far in the 6 Nations and still can walk away with
the championship. France will finish the tournament 5-1, nothing to
be ashamed of. I absolutely agree that the #10 shirt had nothing to
do with France’s victory, you were the one though initially
suggesting that the #10 selection for France was going to cost the
match for France. When #10 is not responsible for kicking duties,
he’s the most irrelevant player on the field. But that’s an a
completely different argument.
I haven’t seen the last 25 minutes of Eng v. Ire, so I’ll get back
to you on your question. Something tells me I already know what the
answer is, Andy Goode’s new best friend.