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The 2009 France ambush that England fans have been warned to remember going into Sunday's final
Eddie Jones has warned England fans not to underestimate France in Sunday’s Autumn Nations Cup final at Twickenham, claiming they have a proud history of causing upset results and referencing an ambush of the All Blacks that happened eleven years ago.
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The French had travelled to New Zealand in 2009 with a side lacking numerous established players, but they still pulled off a shock victory in Dunedin and halved the two-game Test series.
For this Sunday’s final in London, Fabien Galthie has selected an XV containing none of the starters that defeated Ireland 35-27 in the October 31 Six Nations finale and just one starter – Matthieu Jalibert – from the team that beat Scotland 22-15 at Murrayfield in the November 22 Nations Cup game.
Their selection for Twickenham has left Jones believing that the scenario where so many people are expecting an England Nations Cup final win against an unfamiliar France XV is similar to the dynamic that surrounded the build-up to the famed 2009 French-All Blacks meeting in the southern hemisphere.
“Strong team, very strong team,” said Jones when asked for his opinion about the Nations Cup final French XV that has been generally dismissed as a shadow B team.
The coach hit back with an alternative statistic to insist evolution was definitely happening #AutumnNationsCup #ENGvFRAhttps://t.co/9JdunhrOAA
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 4, 2020
“You just have to look back to 2009 when they went on tour to New Zealand, the first Test of a two-Test series. They didn’t have a lot of their senior players available and they won that Test. We know that the French are capable of great things, they have got great depth in their rugby, the Top 14, and particularly at the moment they are on a project to win the World Cup in 2023, so this is just part of their project.
“Look, we are always picking our best 23,” he later added when asked if England’s selection consistency in starting 13 of the XV that began last year’s World Cup final – and the most experienced England team of all time with 813 caps – was a sign of respect for the challenge the revamped French present.
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“I have been consistent about that from the word go. Test match rugby is about picking your best 23. If you just look at the guys coming through on our bench, it’s exciting for England rugby that we have the depth coming through pushing the guys that are starting for us.
“Of course we respect French rugby, you can never underestimate a French team. As I said, their history shows on that 2009 tour what they are capable of doing. They have set themselves a project of winning the World Cup in 2023.
“Historically we have seen they did that with their football in 1998. Gerard Houllier was the technical director and they set a project to win that World Cup, and in 2018 they set another challenge to win the World Cup. We don’t underestimate France at all.
“It’s no advantage (having a settled side). They have got a squad in place, they are playing different members of their squad. We have been able to select from the core of our squad so it’s one squad against another, no one gets a head start. It’s all square when we run out there on Sunday.”
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Episode 9 – Game Changers
We discuss the tense Wales vs England match from the weekend. Jamie reveals just how ruthless Shaun Edwards is! We speak to Mike Umaga on his son Jacob Umaga, and @OceansApartFilm !
iTunes – https://t.co/gfWdk5Vi8h
Spotify – https://t.co/JgbHP6KDdl pic.twitter.com/LF3nsAzp3c— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 2, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
We had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to comments