Did France buy their way to #RWC2023?

As long as you get that Australias picture, with just a few hours flight to where the best Clubs teams in the world are located, or 10 hours to where the richest are (holding most SA's greats) congested in Tokyo, is actually quite rosey, I have accomplished what I set out to do 😜

They've had some good games Glasgow so far, have to see if I can still catch that one. Interested in the Lions as well as it sounds like the pushed Leinster regardless of the scoreline. I stoped hearing of the jetlag complaint, and actually heard how techniques had made it less of an issue, but I agree its a better picture having only teams in the same timezone. I really would like the rest of Africa to be leapfroged into the pro era by some huge investment. What's your opinion on how all 4 squads are building relative to the old days, 2000' and 2010's? I've not actualy heard any sort of comparison to some of the great SR teams out of SA yet. Looking forward to seeing some of these fixtures hyped up once nov is gone and teams build towards 6N time, was some good hype excitment for rugby after the Cup so hope it returns.

Australia just need someone like Rassie to step in and take them forward, big 'if' though. Then the game there and in "skaapnarland" can get in on the hype! If with just a touch more reality in their boasts 😉

Sure Injuries at Lock HB, loosies and FB made some of these new blood selections anything but daring, but just because you have a large bunch of outstanding talent that made them obvious selections doesn't mean you then have extra allowance to take an extra bunch of gambles.

Yeah I agree, I still think it's been the best selecting weve had in a long long time is all I'm saying.

Pero and Love were both injured, can't both come back and get a start at 15 and given Dmac has just made the transition to first five I don't mind they give him every game possible (in any other circumstance i see razor playing Pero at 10 and Love at 15 with no regrets). Mo'unga also got this game in 22' largely for the same reasons. Finau and DP got first crack. Then DP got injured and Blackadder was given a chance, before Sititi was tried next (and now back to Finau). Thats 2 of 3 (or 3/4) new guys getting a chance. Did you want both of those new fellas to play against Japan while also having a debutant start next to them? We were only leading that last fixture by 4 points you remember. They sent Ratima off to London instead of playing him, how is that not telling him they believe in him?

We'll be back to Sititi, Ardie, and Cane next week, theres no other way to break it to ya, don't cry or break anything, lets just hope they win for now. I'll take Ardie moving to 7, or Lakai coming on for Cane, or Barrett playing 6. I think one of them has to happen with their current prediciament and that's enough invention for me.

It could unfortunately be a tough, especially on the Welsh, Scot, and Italian dynamics. I expect, but hope it doesn't happen, the SA'n sides to end up dominating URC (and eruope) much like how NZ dominated SR.

Looking at Slade down south I thought he could be your 12?

Sure, if there was a weakness having a bomb squad come on could paper over the cracks. If Aumua had been built up like in the SA'n system, and had these last half a dozen games over the last couple of years instead of Taylor being run into the ground so that they had to have to give him half the season off, and if they had a little better luck with injuries could have seen Vai'i and Sititi coming off the bench to provide their impact along with a explosive front row, it might have changed things a lot.

But as I have suggest in some other articles, I actually think were fortunate that didn't happen, as it might have paper over these cracks that I think run a lot deeper. They started getting disjointed (were a bit in the first h as well) before the subs arrived imo. I think its a blessing in disguise almost!

You can't really think of it as a Foster example. Sure the only firm changes to the best 15 might have come via injury but in each example it's such a short window you can't suggest that they wouldn't have happened otherwise. It's not like Foster taking two years before he tried someone/thing different.

I certainly didn't agree with their approach to selection but I do still think they are better than anything in the last 12 years (the two previous coaches cycles). I'm one who has really liked the fact they've been able to have Barrett, Cane, and TJP in the team for one more year though.

Aumua showed that if he has jittery starts he can warm himself into the game if you give him enough of a chance. I think Razor saw Steve Borthwick refuse to bring on his young bench in that two test series and construed that keeping the experienced guys on for near 80 minutes was the reason they finished better than the All Blacks in those goes.

Hopefully he has learned that's not the golden bullet approach now. Aumua, Darry, Finau, even Lakai, are likely going to be part of the future RWC team, so now is as good a time as any to start them in one of these big games coming up.

From the XV's Bradley Slater, George Bower, Fabian Holland. Christian Lio-Willie, Oliver Haig, Harry Plummer, AJ Lam helped the ABs so you have to think they are starters for both games?