'It's disrespectful': Former All Blacks shocked by France's travelling squad

I know this, I'm a Kiwi mate, and I know NZ born players represent the islands. It's not help but the byproduct of our system. You make it sound like we deliberately help especially Tonga and Samoa but we don't.

That plan might work up North but it will not necessarily work here but there is a plan and it’s not to be as big as Top 14 it’s just to be its own little sustainable thing and to do that costs money that doesn’t have rich cats snd large populations behind it so for now till we get out biz together all it’s is to make sure that downunder gets quality tests and people like you not to be so dismissive of challenges here especially because historically and now the teams in NH benefit from rugby down here ,both those boys are French( tho the accents are still kiwi an Aussie) and are extremely happy and proud I have listened to the interviews I only used them as an example to show you a wider vision of some of the benefits French rugby gets from these ways not all roads in rugby should end up in France but I do not see how having that thrive and comps here thrive cannot be anything but good for rugby with a little help from our friends ,fair?

I know Meafou … he came through the Toulouse academy. By NZ logic, that makes him French (He’s a French citizen, like Atonio) like it makes Seevu Reece and Leicester Fainga’anuku Kiwis. They are not. Know Atonio too. He’s in my count. Stop assuming I don’t know stuff.

They’re still signing players out of the South, so what? It is pro sport. They don’t care where players come from, as long as they’re good enough and you see that because they’re signing less players from the SH nowadays. Look at the NBA and Premier League. The best of the world play in the best leagues, regardless of where they are from.

Rugby needs more strong domestic competitions because the international game only generates enough cash in WC years. NZ and other SH nations will keep losing players if they don’t get their domestic leagues in order. That means: independent clubs and no control over players by the national team coach. No central contracts. A full season and foreign talent so you can sell TV rights overseas.

Play the Crusaders Team in the FirstTest and the Chiefs in Hamilton. Think they would win anyway.

What a lie. NZ could easily have timed the first test for July 13, thus allowing France to field it's top team. The truth is, NZ were staring down the barrel of a 3-0 defeat, and chose to avoid it. Cowards.

Don‘t write the French off just yet.

Opening ourselves up for embarrassment here…with all the commentary around, 3 comprehensive wins is now a base expectation which doesn’t leave much room for error.

Here is a question if like the other unions up North keep losing players to French clubs as England has and that continues to happen and it does come with restrictions to player access availability what will happen? Is test rugby and test series becoming not relevant or is it the foundation of what makes rugby different and what we love most about it?

To accommodate the world club challenge everyone’s going to have to change up their season ( unless they go at half pie which I doubt) hope this is a beginning to get everyone’s seasons more aligned yea Top 14 is firing on all cylinders but there is rugby ecosystem that the clubs up North benefit from to at least consider moving forwards I believe

Well winning an understrenth French side at least the ABs will start winning again. If they don't Eden Park is in deep $%%$

I understand how NZ fans and pundits feel about the French disrespect in sending a B team group of players, but I doubt that is their intention. As a Saffa, I don't really see the issue this year by the French doing it. End of this year ranking will determine the World Cup seeding if I remember correctly ( could be wrong ) and it is 3 sanctioned tests. Makes the AB's road to the top just that much easier if they face weaker opposition. In the Grand scheme of things, the World Cup seeding should take prevalence as it determines just how hard your group route will be. If the French feel they can afford to lose the ranking, then so be it. The bigger the score against the French, the bigger the gap between NZ and France, and also if the Boks slip up, the AB's will be number 1. There is no more time to gain the best spots, this is the last chance to get a good ranking. The Boks won't be a French B team. Rassie and the Boks is coming for the double, and the AB's will need every bit of their best to ensure victory. Rassie will want to ensure the Boks end top dogs, and he knows the most likeliest team to derail the Boks will be the AB's.

This again. As if it hasn’t been ventilated enough?

Discuss.

Marshie back into his foot-in-mouth mode. Thankfully Razor is far more level-headed about the epic challenge any French team will pose. I mean, we haven’t beaten them since 23 June 2018, 0 from 3 since then. As Razor alluded to, the ABs are definitely in en garde mode & fixed on preparing for a huge battle.

Ireland did bring a full strength team and won down in Nz but they still choked as usual at RWC 2023. France are regular semi final and finalists and it’s only a matter of time before they win it.

Well yes

And I am sure the french will understand when we go on a northern tour then the abs fly all the top players home before the Paris test and send in the Ekatahuna midgets

The only thing to do is for yhe all blacks to put eighty points on these losers

The Top 14 is flying no doubt and French rugby looking ominous and relatively consistent ( still have not taken next step ) but their leagues do rely on a lot of overseas developed talent for quality of depth so their comps are not totally immune to what makes the rugby world go around …will be real interesting to see what the haps is with World club cup if that model to align will carry on to international rugby after

We never field our top players against tier 2 nations. Did the people in California complain when we played Fiji there last year? Same for Japan. All test sides do this and for France, it’s the July window and to a lesser extent November. In Paris last November, they were without Ntamack, Jalibert, Baille, Jelonch, Lucu and had 8 players of 23 and younger in the squad, with an average of less than 5 tests under their belt. And they beat us. The team that played Argentina the week after was much changed compared to the line up against us.

No one talks about that.

well sadly the french are allowed to do it until the irb does something and imagine if the french won

Marshall’s and Wilson’s comments have some values on the national audience but they completely fail with the international one. This kind of comments would be useful outside new zealand, adressed to the french national league that organizes the top 14 (14 teams, come on, really !?!) and says who can or can’t go to exotic summer camps. any major top 14 player plays half more games than any equivalent major all black, so the league stops adding more and it is for the exclusive benefit of clubs. No southern team will ever ever ever receive a full national french team in june. or july. or august. Even less in late july or august when the clubs start again their training.

This has been explained over and over, year after year, with south-african readers, australians, new-zealanders, argentinians so why is this trolls’ bait article published once again now?

Hmmmm they should actually watch some of the Top14 games featuring many of the players selected in the squad, particularly in the backs.

They are skilful and they are rapid. I hope that Razor banking on power players in the midfield doesn’t backfire. I’ve yet to see many well constructed tries scored by the All Blacks backs when spreading the ball the full width of the pitch.

The best way to respond to an “ understrength” French side is to say nothing and just go out and thrash them if we can. Always dangerous to give an opposition incentive by being too arrogant and France have an uncanny habit of playing out of their skins when not expected to.

Just store it in the memory bank. Bring it out when its appropriate

its going to be a trashing 😅 …confirmmmmm

So disappointing they are not bringing their top players. So I hope they get thrashed and embarrassed on the field for doing so.