England v France preview, by Garth Hamilton
England have already played their final. France probably have too.
After the heroics of both of these teams last weekend, their semi final showdown can hardly be expected to live up to the hype of their last match. Can it?
England’s game against Australia was based around passion. Having backed themselves into a corner with several years of terrible rugby, Brian Ashton’s men found themselves beset on all sides with detractors mockingly pointing out their long and glaring list of failings. Strangely the Australian players seemed happy to get in on the act, thereby breaking sport’s golden rule of always claiming underdog status.
With pride hurt and a point to prove England came out and delivered on a simple plan. It wasn’t a plan to score marvellous tries or ascend to great levels of dashing rugby. It was simply to thwart every opportunity Australia had for good, quick and clean possession. Counter-ruck, spoil and force the turnover. Through sheer indignant willpower they achieved their result and Australia have only themselves to blame for an early exit from the tournament.
The hardest thing now for England, and for that matter Australia, to accept is that nothing has profoundly changed as a result of this game. England still have a terrible backline much as Australia still have a terrible scrum. Even with all that passionate play England were but a small gust of wind from losing to one of the worst Australian performances in recent memory. Stirling Mortlock’s last kick could have easily robbed England of a deserved victory.
The English player’s anger has been spent and the critics’ noses rubbed in it but England can’t expect France to play as poorly as the Wallabies this weekend. France will not be caught out by a team whose greatest weapon was a big chip of wood on their shoulder. French coach Bernard Laporte has already gone some way towards relieving England of that burden by piously claiming he never under-estimated them.
Ashton will need to produce a game plan to counter the expected French kicking game and he would do well to take note of the match between Scotland and Argentina. The Pumas rely upon a similar kicking game with huge garryowens just in front of their forward pack. It wasn’t until too late in the game that Scotland decided that trying to beat these Argentine forwards is next to impossible. When they passed the ball back and forward across the width of the field the Scots found holes and opportunities and so will England.
France’s ability to withstand 31 phases of New Zealand pick and drives shows they have the patience and discipline to withstand a one-dimensional game plan. England will need to move the ball away from the ruck against France and take whatever drop goals they can.
If France can take England’s punishment up front in the first half then they will lay the platform for their super-subs, Freddie Michalak and Sebastien Chabal, to win the game for them in the second. France to win by one score.
Phil
Guest
Surprisingly both England and France are able to field the same sides that tasted victory the week before. I would like to see the French pay Jonny Wilkinson the same respect as the Australians did last weekend and allow him to finish the game. Being the man, he should expect real attention. Wasn't Jonny ridiculed that he might justs be included in the all-time Rugby XV line up? Have you read his injury count ? To have the determination to keep coming back, and manage his way thru that min(d)field, challenging himself to see it thru, has been his own "World Cup", right there. He has had two knee ops involving medial ligaments, and he's a kicker! There aren't too many personalities that have that aura needed to carry a team spiritually. How sweet must that feel ?
andrew
Guest
I should preface my view by saying that I'm notoriously unreliable when it comes to predictions.I got the All Blacks /Aust game at the 2003 RWC wrong,I was wrong about England full stop against Australia.I'm on track with the 'Boks but was even nervous about that against Tonga.However - the Poms have a good record overall in Paris and they're on a roll.They know how to wind the French up and the French knowit and will be very nervous.Both teams have come back from the almost dead. Agree the French are a better team overall - but that's what I thought about Australia! One comment I agree with is that it depends on which French team comes out to play.Vive Les Bleus;Vive les Rostbifs
Sam Taulelei
Guest
Oh sorry I meant to also write SA in a close one
Sam Taulelei
Guest
Ben The SA v Argentina semifinal is the hardest one for me to pick. I believe the Boks along with the Pumas have been the best performing teams in the cup and either would be worthy of the cup. Argentina have done a magnificent job and everyone keeps writing them off at each stage along the way expecting them to fall over. They are similar to the Boks in some respects that they play a structured game and play it very well, their aerial attacks are actually denying other teams from playing to their strengths and it's working. SA have shown how lethal they are when attacking out wide and how strong they are when driving in close, both sides are evenly matched and it will come down to those intangible factors like passion, desperation and composure under pressure. I'm picking France in a close one and only because of the 16th player, hometown crowd.
Ben from Pretoria
Guest
As a Aouth African I would obviously love to see the Boks win the final but my head tells me that Argentina would be too aggressive and desperate for them. France would edge England in a reverse replay of Waterloo and it will be balls to the walls for a Arg/France final. Any thoughts?
Mart
Guest
Ulysses - "l'esprit du clocher" or playing within the sound of Churchbells. Personally on Saturday I reckon it will translate t "knocking 7 bells out of" given the French and Pom packs ! Sam - spot on about the Argies, hadn't thought of that. How funny to watch the IRB try and reduce the number of "smaller teams" at the 20011 RWC if a "smaller team" is the reigning RWC Champ ! I'd have lost the house and all other possessions on last weekend's results so I'm keeping schtum about this weekend. Better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are an idiot than to open it and remove all doubt. However Eng / Fra should be easier to theorise upon as they know / play each other so there is previous. The Boks / Pumas game could be more intriguing to predict therefore ?
ulysses
Guest
IMHO France are in with great chance. Remember the Soccer World Cup - France won on home soil. Everyone talks about the French spirit of the churchbells or whatever it is - ie. you have to win your home games. France can do that now - with massive home support. Bit harsh to say France "capitulated" against Australia in 1999 Final! It was a great Aus side remember. Sure, France didn't reproduce the 20 mins of brilliance from the semi-final - but lightning rarely strikes twice.
Phil
Guest
Remember France playing their final against the All Blacks a few yrs ago, when they went onto the final to capitulate against the Australians? Don't be so sure the French haven't already played their best game. The English just need to show the same intesity in the break down to win. Simple. They don't need to rely on flair to undo their opposition. Teams come unstuck when they need to execute open running games especially when they don't have the grunt in the forwards to rely on.
Sam Taulelei
Guest
I'm hoping like mad the Pumas win it so that all futile arguments about whether they belong to an expanded 3N or 6N competition are ended. How meaningful is a competition without the world champions!!!
sheek
Guest
Terry Kidd.....ditto!
Terry Kidd
Guest
My vote is for a French v Bok final, with the French to win, but I'm hoping like mad for the Pumas to make it.
sheek
Guest
Mr Hird.....you're duly certified insane. But stranger things have happened..........!
Mr Hird
Guest
Call me insane but I think England will make the final and it will be against Argentina. In the big games against France, England always seem to come up with the goods and this England team has renewed belief, hunger and confidence. They now think they can go to war with anyone and have nothing to lose. As for SA v Argentina.....I think the Argentinians might just shock the world to set up and emotional, bitter and historic final with their old enemy England. Fun times.
sheek
Guest
Garth, Communicating elsewhere with a saffie acquaintance, he offered the view England would beat France, because the froggies would "go to water" on the big home stage. I offered the alternate view that France have already "gone to water" once, in their opening game loss against Argentina. Also, we need to understand the physcology here. Having lost that opening game, France went through their introspection, & have treated every match since as a "grand final". They are conditioned to play that way ever since the opening loss. They have dealt with the loss, & moved on. England indeed felt the match against Australia was their "final". They probably entered with the view "of hoping for the best, but expecting the worst". It's instructive that very few of the English media expected their team to win against the Wallabies. Back in 1991, when the Wallabies got their "out of jail" last minute win against Ireland in the quarters, I couldn't help feeling they were destined to win the World Cup. I felt the same in 1999, following their epic semis win over the Boks, & the dramatic loss of the ABs to the French. Now in 2007, France's win over the ABs in the quarters, leads me to think Les Bleus are destined to win the WC. Otherwise, there would be little point to their extraordinary win in the quarters. I suggested to my same saffie mate that the Boks of 2007 were slightly inferior to their 1995 version. After a quick poll around his office, he replied on the contrary, the view was that the 2007 team was slightly superior to the 1995 version. We shall see.........! My final point is, it would be good for the game to have 5 different winners in 6 editions of the World cup.