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Eight years after what happened at RWC 2011, English and Welsh fans are wary of yet another France team in disarray
According to various reports, the France rugby team are suffering an internal crisis with a divide between the players and the coaches. This seems to be one the most reliable features of any Rugby World Cup and while this would usually signal pandemonium for any other team, rival fans feel this may work in France’s favour.
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There are reports that team captain Guilhem Guirado has fallen out with the coaching staff and has subsequently been dropped as captain. He has lost faith in the coaches, Jacques Brunel and Fabien Galthie, and now has been replaced by Camille Chat, who started against the USA and Tonga and is set to start against England this Saturday. The players have sided with Guirado, creating a rift in the squad.
While this would be bad enough for any team, Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal has also spoken out in the past few days, urging the players to revolt against the management and take control themselves. Fans on social media have been quick to point out that it was only a matter of time before this happened to the France squad. Having said that, they are also aware of how dangerous the team can be in these situations.
After losses to the All Blacks and Tonga in the pool stages of the 2011 RWC, the France squad led a similar mutiny against Marc Lievremont and went on to reach the final, losing to the All Blacks by a solitary point. While this team in 2019 have not lost a game so far this RWC, they are underperforming. Barring a barnstorming opening 40 minutes against Argentina, they have looked flat and rudderless. They are arguably worse than the team in 2011, despite having as much if not more talent.
This RWC is just a microcosm of the past two years under Brunel, as France have stagnated and struggled to progress. Compared to Lievremont’s four years in charge, where he won a Grand Slam in 2010, it is undoubtedly worse.
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Therefore, a rebellion this year could liberate the team and prompt a change in fortunes comparable to 2011, something that fans all over the world are wary of. English and Welsh fans are particularly cautious, with Eddie Jones’ side set to face France this Saturday in their final game of the pool stages and Warren Gatland’s side likely to meet them in the quarter-finals.
Both England and Wales fell to France in their uprising in 2011, losing in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively, and they will be all too aware of the threat that a similarly unleashed France now pose. This is what has been said:
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Mutinous France are the most dangerous France. Watch them beat England and knock NZ out in the semi.
— Ifan Morgan Jones (@ifanmj) October 8, 2019
@cdlawyer they're doing it again! Put a tenner on them to win
— Joe Bolton (@joebolton) October 7, 2019
French camp is a complete mess yet again during the World Cup.
Players fighting amongst each other and the captain not on talking terms with some coaches.
Too much wine, too much whining and not enough showbiz.
In other words,
Expect France to go on to win the Rugby World Cup https://t.co/OtsfIsDfUQ
— Richie Allen (@Richie_Allen) October 7, 2019
France rugby team in disarray! Captain ousted, players told to overthrow coaches. What a mess! But when they are like this, they are at their best. What a dangerous time to play them. France for the final? #RWC2019
— Tiredcommuter (@CEducrisis) October 8, 2019
Lmao ooh they are definitely winning against England after this https://t.co/TkHzxdVyjm
— Granit Xhaka Fan Account (@Luigi_SQ) October 8, 2019
This is the classic situation in which French rugby becomes unplayable and unstoppable.
— Adrian Perry (@montyman42) October 7, 2019
While it would usually be absurd to suggest that chaos to this extent could favour a team, it seems to be part of the French DNA and only lends itself to their fabled Gallic flair.
In truth, this may be the type of thing that the France team need, as they simply have not been a force on the world stage over the past four years.
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Meanwhile, English, Welsh and fans from every other country will hope that their teams have learnt lessons from the past when it comes to underestimating a French team in disarray.
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Comments on RugbyPass
The greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
15 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
15 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
15 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
15 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to comments