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'They have crazy depth': Top 14 champion Richie Gray warns Scotland about understrength France
Scotland forward Richie Gray claims the “crazy depth” of French rugby will ensure their trip to Paris is no less difficult despite the home side’s coronavirus outbreak. Sunday’s game will go ahead as scheduled following a decision by Guinness Six Nations organisers.
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Ten France players tested positive but two clear rounds of testing saw the game get the green light. The Six Nations leaders, who have beaten Ireland and Italy away from home, will be missing star scrum-half and 2020 player of the championship Antoine Dupont and captain Charles Ollivon.
Nine of the 23-man squad that sent Ireland spinning to a 15-13 defeat have since been found to have contracted the virus. However, Scotland second row Gray knows from his seven years in France that the absences will not seriously weaken the home side.
The former Toulouse and Castres lock said: “The challenge will still be just as tough. French rugby, they have crazy depth. A good example of that is the England game in the autumn, when I think it was dubbed the French third team. But they went over to England and almost pulled off a victory.
“They can cough up a lot of players and there is a lot of talent. Any time you play France in France it’s going to be a really tough challenge. So we need to be prepared for that.”
Things are looking up for next Sunday's game in Paris#SixNations #FRAvSCOhttps://t.co/aaYHHS6V4P
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 24, 2021
Gregor Townsend’s Scotland are looking to end a long wait for an away win in Paris after banishing poor records in Wales and England in recent months. Gray said: “It was an opportunity if they didn’t have players missing.
“It’s been 1999 since we last won there, so it’s a great opportunity to go over there, produce a performance and hopefully get a win. But everyone is aware of how tough it will be.”
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— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 24, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
So sad, god rest him. Too young to be gone. RIP
2 Go to commentsRIP big man 🙏
2 Go to commentsThe GB coach. “Just because we don’t get together as much as other teams we don’t use that as an excuse for performances when we don’t hit the mark”. Why mention it at all then?
1 Go to commentsNo mention of the yellow card for Harlequins which really cost them.
3 Go to commentsThought you’d left us Nick. Good to have you back writing for us. So hunter ikitau works? I reckon wright kellaway as two of the back 3. Tim Ryan and Toole looking good for strike winger but I still want the power of korobeiti and figure our forwards still need him to help them out. Million dollar question is who plays 10? I’m thinking Noah for his kicking and combo with wright. Reckon the pair adds up to an attack and kellaway will help. Can you comment on Zac Lucas in Japan? How is he going?
1 Go to commentsMack Hansen, Ethan Roots, Taine Plumbtree, Louis Lynagh, Emmanuel Meafou? Which country do you want to pick your Barbarians from?
3 Go to commentsInstead of apologising, try to act like an adult, fcknut.
3 Go to commentsLooks like the Force twisted his leg…ahem arm
5 Go to commentsScotland should change their name to the Barbarians
3 Go to commentsThe game was already over leave the bloke alone ….from a Welsh fan 😀👍
3 Go to commentsShamefully the Toulouse players acted like footballers, falling down feigning injury at the slightest knock. About time refs penalised this play acting.
8 Go to commentsAnother non Scot for the anti Scot Townsend. Soon there will be no Scottish born and bred players in the National team.
3 Go to commentsGreat comeback to the playing field by Richie Mo’unga after the loss of his father. A great performance by Richie . I know him well and he is a great guy. On and off the field one of the greatest for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson would have loved him in his All Black’s side. A very missed player and person.
3 Go to commentsYeah nah he comes across as a funny bloke, but that stopped abruptly after the Nutcracker Prince debacle✋
3 Go to commentsAt this point I can’t watch him without thinking he’s a dirty slimebag. He should have been banned for the same amount of time that Quinn was out. It took Tupaea near on a fricking year to get fit enough to play again and his leg will never be the same. The other crap thing is that he was at ABs level and now he has to claw his way back there when he could have had several games under his belt.
5 Go to commentsThe Black Ferns 7’s have been without Captain Sarah Hirini now since Dec 23 in Dubai where she suffered a bad ACL injury - hopefully she is on the road to recovery for Madrid and Paris. Now also have Tyler King and Shiray kaka on the Injured List but the Team still found a way to win in Singapore and claim the overall Title.
1 Go to commentsUtter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
5 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
5 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
16 Go to comments