LONG READ The Six Nations deep dive: How France has the North playing Super Rugby

Yeah its a cost benefit analysis. Often the Boks use the scrum ascendancy as an exit strategy seeking to overpower scrums to secure a penalty with little prospect of breaking out with ball in hand. That has to be neutralised to beat them.

But you would not want Scott Barrett or Holland packing behind your loose-head on the right side of the pitch. He would then be your open-side flanker,

No I didn’t see the game, but thanks for the precis. Will take a look.

Did you watch Sarries vs Saints at Tottenham Stadium? What a brilliant game and brilliant venue.

If ever you needed a reminder of how the PREM has changed in recent years, this game was it. Sarries defence was outstanding but Saints attack just unlocked them and 5 years ago that would have been a Sarries win, whereas Saints attack just edged this contest.

Pollock & Pearson were immense together and just know how to play off each other to get the best out of each other. Pollock had so many key involvements in that game and Pearson was probably the most aggressive back rower on the pitch.

Great job by both teams and a very worthy showcase of where the PREM is at right now.

I know and I am saying so? If the threat is the tighthead, send your big boys to that side of the scrum (it may ofcourse be the loosehead too). The great thing for the ABs is that they have hybrid loosies who can play both

sides dropping like leaves in autumn. But what they need to do is get their genuinely bigger / taller men together to combat the power generated by Louw, Synman, SFdT (and then Wiese) when they are assembled together on the tighthead. I mentioned Tosi before but actually our weakness has been as you have noted our loosehead - Williams - who was made to skate by Louw and then Genge. By contrast when Holland was at six, there was no skating - indeed the opposite - they dominated.

What I am saying is that the big number 6 would not always be on that side of the scrum…😁

Interesting and previously unthinkable question . . . . but should they start with Lucu and then bring Dupont off the bench, which would be a better match of styles with how they are trying to play?

which is precisly what I suggested before Lucu got injured! Tho Dupont proved how well he could adapt to Jalibert at the 6N….

Your explanation was so much better than mine. 🤣🤣

If they are going down that path, Meafou, Woki & Aldritt would be a great bench combo to add a bit of size, power and with Woki a bit of back 5 flexibility to see who is lagging on the GPS data at the time.

Interesting and previously unthinkable question . . . . but should they start with Lucu and then bring Dupont off the bench, which would be a better match of styles with how they are trying to play?

I also see Snyman may have a season ending injury - thats one third of the Bok tighthead golden triangle. DR and Borthwick take note!

Yeah but its the tighhead where the Boks are most destructive!

What I noticed last season (2025) is when they got the ball they typically moved it back into the centre of the pitch, they set up 3 or 4 rucks waiting to match a smaller defender against a bigger carrier and once they broke the defensive line, they switched to attack but the forwards always stayed fairly central on the pitch to minimise how much they had to run. If it wasn’t on, they would kick long, trust the defence and then be patient until they got the ball back and go again.

That’s a description of ‘playing off 9’, with two blocks of six forwards total around Dupont. With Jalibert at 10 they have played through him and Moefana/Ramos far more often.

France will know that when SA are bringing six or seven forwards off the bench they will not run them off their feet in that last 20-30 minutes, so this is a good moment to go big and sesure they can match power with power. I think guys like Meafou can do that for half an hour.

The ‘big six’ would not always be on the tighthead side of a scrum ofc - for example on the left side of the field he would be behind the loose-head!

And the two so often go hand in hand NH. The same voices telling you there is no need to anything but repeat past methods will also be the ones who offer no explanation or comms for it.

Rugby is a minority game and it cannot afford such arrogance.

I have these old habits in my own profession and they drive me up the wall. “Its the right way to do it because that’s how its always been.” You speak to people closer to it and i bet they’re saying the same thing refs and administrators are. People won’t like it or will lose faith if we actually implement some transparency and clear communication. But, when we do actually see these things in the game, they’re usually received well. Crowds have loved mic’s on the refs and refs who communicate well as do the players.

Yeah probably but the NH teams successfully embraced the 3x4 in the 6N and DR would do well to notice that. It is also an antidote to SA tighthead dominance which will be key to team beating them.

If they did that it would complete the entire journey and make sense why SA moved to URC, Investec and then 7 Nations and I actually think it would raise the standards of the other teams having to go up against SA each season.

If only WR would put us in charge NB, we’d have everything sorted in no time. 🤣🤣

And a huge SA telly audience plus sponsors. Waht’s not to like?

Ah. Have to watch out for the acne and the added bone growths then!

No way will Rennie move either Vaai to SB to 6 CW. Both are mobile second rows and Tupou pretty much said he hated the experiment.

I suspect Vaai and Barrett will still be the top locking combo, at least to begin with under DR, tho Holland is next man in when Scooter retires/declines. As you say Holland starts or he’s not in the 23.

Yep quite a push behind meredith atm even tho it’s quite late on in his career…

Rugby has always been something of a secret society with its own handshakes NH, what can I say? Old habits die hard.

Fair comment again, though some signs of multi-phase revival. Ire back over 100 rucks per game agains after a couple of season under [107], Scotland sailing stead at 120, Wales topping 100, Eng at 97.

I think everyone would like to see Crichton play a bit of rugby before putting him in a Wallaby side.Obviously talented,but no more than Sualii, and we have seen how long it is taking him to show the class many of us think he posesses.At 10,Gordon and Meredith are looking good,but a shame neither can kick goals,so Donaldson probably has his nose in front at present.12 and 13,who knows?Ikitau has to be one of them,then you have Henry and Flook playing well,with the mystery of whether Sualii can actually perform at 13.

In other words,to summarise,I don’t have a clue except that every position is up for grabs in the Wallaby backs,except for Jorgo!

Missed this important question in previous reviews! Definitely Mou’nga if fit and ready to go. Rennie likes a good general who can run (think Cruden 2012-2013).

When you realise they make about £20m revenue per home game at 85% gross margin, call it £17m contribution, with about £3m of extra costs to run, the economics of a 7 Nations with 1 extra home game would be pretty compelling.

Your stats are fantasy . Against the scot dupont create a try with lbb and jalibert the last pass. No art from him. Against scots dupont was decisive for 3 tries. Same against england ( two for lbb onr by a beautiful kick and run the other by a pass on the line ; and a pass to the other winger which proved he has the most precise pass of 9 and 10. Jalibert.made nothing remenbering apart a beautiful pass to english. His place in the 15 must be a reward for that. This paper is one more parochial paper which underated two of the best player of the 6 finn russel and dupont..

So dupont stats are more impressive and his kicking as his pass are better but he is not irish and don’t play the game as the journalist like…parochialism

Now that B/R would be excellent indeed.

Or Big Jim and Jordie, how bout them apples?

Pity there’s no stadium in Earl’s Court🤣

Maybe they could have a ‘Super Saturday’ with two games at Twickenham, one at home for England, the other for SA?

Or if you have two conferences, say [1] SA, France, England Ireland, and [2] Scotland, Italy, Wales and Georgia you could have home and away games with SA hosting their own games in the Republic. And promotion and relegation. Or one big league in a new season window.

6N committee would never have it ofc.

And that’s true too.

Hehe😬

We’re very soft and cuddly. If we’re not on the STEROIDS.

‘Cosy up to a Bok fan’. The thought of it🤣😁

Yes I agree. But please don’t try an cosy up to us now because we’re the “North’s” best chances of ever winning a WC.

Careful he doesn’t come back to bite you. Or gore you. Or worse.

They obv found it a lot more hospitable than the South and SR. Ask them, they love the URC and Champions Cup even its current ropey form!

Good question, numbers suggest 70-80m killed in total (inc civilian deaths), from about 400m European population and just over 2.2 Bn global population at the time.

trying to claim them for the North though?

I elected myself. I grabbed the bull by its bollocks.

What percentage of men died? Which had an impact on the world?

I watched “The Story of Rugby” on Amazon and they said 30% of all International players died during WW2, which is why they stopped playing after the war and is where football gained its popularity.

That’s a remarkable statistic to get your head around for the impact the war had on our game.

OMG - I’d have to leave the forum if IRE won RWC. We wouldn’t hear the end of it for the next 20 years. 🤣🤣

Whilst having more players at 32,000 ft than any other team. 🤣