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The latest RugbyPass Form XV - 5 French, 4 English, and 2 each from Pumas, Wallabies and Wales

(Photo by Dan Mullan/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

After their opening round Autumn Nations Cup match with Fiji was cancelled last week, France got their campaign started with an away win over Scotland on Sunday. Fabien Galthie’s side staked their claim for being the form side in Europe, with a Nations Cup final against England now looking likely after their win over Ireland. 

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Meanwhile, struggling Wales registered their second win of 2020, beating Georgia, and Argentina salvaged a gutsy Rugby Championship draw against Australia after their game-winning heroics against the All Blacks the week before.

Here is the latest RugbyPass Form XV, plenty of new faces chosen in a team consisting of five French players, four English, and two players each from Argentina, Australia and Wales. 

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How hard are the All Blacks training in the gym ahead of next Saturday’s rematch with Argentina?

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How hard are the All Blacks training in the gym ahead of next Saturday’s rematch with Argentina?

1. Wyn Jones: Against a Georgia side famed for their love of the scrum, the Wales loosehead certainly came out on top, winning two early penalties and proving he is Wayne Pivac’s best scrummaging option at No1. 

2. Camille Chat: In an attritional battle up front against Scotland, the French hooker tirelessly threw his weight around for the first 50 minutes.

3. Kyle Sinckler: His tremendous workrate was exhibited against Ireland. The England tighthead made 20 tackles and proved to be a tough Nations Cup opponent for Cian Healy at the scrum. 

4. Maro Itoje: Another man of the match performance for the lock against Ireland. His standards never seem to drop. 

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5. Bernard Le Roux: He typifies the new industrious and ferocious French defence under Shaun Edwards, topping the tackle count against Scotland. 

6. Pablo Matera: The Argentina captain put in another excellent shift against Australia, contributing in all aspects of the game.  

7. Sam Underhill: England’s tackling machine shone in a monumental defensive effort by his team at Twickenham, while also proving to be a nuisance at the breakdown.  

8. Gregory Alldritt: A vital member of the France XV and part of their burgeoning new generation of players, the No8 was happy to make the hard yards against a Scotland defence that proved hard to break down. 

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9. Antoine Dupont: A quiet game by his usual high standards, but there are few players in better form than the scrum-half currently. 

10. Nicolas Sanchez: The scorer of all of Argentina’s points so far in the Tri-Nations, his boot was crucial in the win over the All Blacks and last weekend’s draw with Australia.

11. Jonny May: Scorer of two tries against Ireland, including one of the great solo efforts seen this year. He is rightfully receiving plenty of plaudits from his coach Eddie Jones. 

12. Hunter Paisami: Argentina struggled to handle Australia’s midfield combo of Paisami and Jordan Petaia last Saturday, particularly in a dominant first half. 

13. Virimi Vakatawa: France’s midfielder was at the end of his team’s scything strike move at Murrayfield. He came close to scoring twice before that as his purple patch continues. 

14. Louis Rees-Zammit: A try and an assist for Wales’ new winger only tells half the story. The 19-year-old came close to scoring a second and showed on a number of occasions how dangerous he can be when given space. 

15. Tom Wright: Although on the wing against Argentina last the weekend, the rugby league convert highlighted what a classy and dependable prospect he is for the Wallabies in just his second outing. 

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c
cw 6 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Thanks JW for clarifying your point and totally agree. The ABs are still trying to find their mojo” - that spark of power that binds and defines them. Man the Boks certainly found theirs in Wellington! But I think it cannot be far off for ABs - my comment about two coaches was a bit glib. The key point for me is that they need first a coach or coaches that can unlock that power and for me that starts at getting the set piece right and especially the scrum and second a coach that can simplify the game plans. I am fortified in this view by NBs comment that most of the ABs tries come from the scrum or lineout - this is the structured power game we have been seeing all year. But it cannot work while the scrum is backpeddling. That has to be fixed ASAP if Robertson is going to stick to this formula. I also think it is too late in the cycle to reverse course and revert to a game based on speed and continuity. The second is just as important - keep it simple! Complex movements that require 196 cm 144 kg props to run around like 95kg flankers is never going to work over a sustained period. The 2024 Blues showed what a powerful yet simple formula can do. The 2025 Blues, with Beauden at 10 tried to be more expansive / complicated - and struggled for most of the season.

I also think that the split bench needs to reflect the game they “want” to play not follow some rote formula. For example the ABs impact bench has the biggest front row in the World with two props 195cm / 140 kg plus. But that bulk cannot succeed without the right power based second row (7, 4, 5, 6). That bulk becomes a disadvantage if they don’t have a rock solid base behind them - as both Boks showed at Eden Park and the English in London. Fresh powerful legs need to come on with them - thats why we need a 6-2 bench. And teams with this split can have players focused only on 40 minutes max of super high intensity play. Hence Robertson needs to design his team to accord with these basic physics.



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