Cheers.

Paris minus 20 degrees and blizard for yhe next 15 years.

Thanks Harry. The Fench team you mention was a fantastic team under an amazing leader in Jean Pierre Rives who became a renowned painter and sculptor in his own right. I see the difference between France and the Wallabies is that France departed from its DNA since 2003 the wallabies have worked to make theirs stronger with its ups and down since 03.

Merci Lost in Tokyo. Confirming i am 100% bias towards the WBs.? I was also lost in Tokyo but a few signs in English helped me out of trouble.

Ah ah touche.

Spiro, when i was a young man playing rugby in the muddy and sometimes snowy fields of the French Alps, the All Blacks and their mystique of wearing the mourning of their opponents was captivating our minds. In those days the Springboks were not playing in international tournaments but the reputation of their ferocity was already ahead of them and we loathed of not seeing them play more often and could not wait for that day to happen.

However, it is in the wallabies that we saw the flamboyance of rugby with an attacking flair and a relentlessness which could get the best of any teams on the day and curiously when the French defeated the wallabies in the 87 world cup semi i still remember having witness one of the most superb style of play one can possibly aspire to in watching the wallabies alas getting carved by France my national team at the time.

The majestic era of the Ella brothers had just concluded the introduction of a modern great team. Legendary names on a world scale started to arise arise like Farr-Jones, Poitevin, Lynagh, Fitzsimmons, Campese , they stamped their feet and brought bill back home 4 years under the conduction of Coaching maestro Bob Dwyer. Then followed by a young garde of Burke, Larkham, Gregan, Horan , Litle and of course John Eales took the Wallabies to a firmament where they have never been before or since then under Rod McQueen and Eddie Jones and always with these relentless attacking waves, like the ocean waves bracing the Australian soil, my adoptive country by then. (Greg Mumm posted an excellent article yesterday about that). The Wallabies play natural Rugby which cannot be stopped like the evolution of nature cannot be stopped and it takes new forms to adapt to situations. I do not have the education to say that it is a style of play from Camberra, Randwick or Ballymore, what i know is that we play the Australiansl way.

During that time, and until this Sunday morning the All blacks have been trying one thing. It is to get the monkeys off their back. They won at home last WC , they smashed the French and now they want now to prove to everyone they are the team to beat in RWC by bringing bill back to Auckland and probably create a museum for it, create the first back to back and win away from home thereby underlining they are not chokers. Lots of monkeys.

But you see Spiro, the reasons why we love the Australian Wallabies are simple. The team embody the Australian psyche, i would even say the ANZAC spirit. Gracious under pressure, humble in victory and defeat and hard at it at all times.Entrepreneurial as of those who came to OZ for a better life, the wallabies will leave everything on the Park. Colorful and flamboyant in style and outfits, they are driven to greater achievements by their own insecurities and perenial #2 status.

Knuckle Conolly is right, Australia does punch above its weight in Rugby WC as in sport in general (surfing, olympics, cricket ), in economic, international diplomatic terms and in natural wonders. That s the Australian way and that s how we roll.

Stephen Moore is the perfect captain to take us to Victory as he embodies the afore mentioned character traits like Richie does for NZ. Moore is a true Australian and will not be satisfied unless he lifts the trophy up on Sunday. His leftenants are starting to become household names in world rugby and they too like their illustrious elders are under conduction of a coaching maestro.

The conditions are ready for the greatest game of all time to be played.

A team of bruised and battered Australian nearing the end of their kokoda trail and facing one last mountain to climb. The biggest of them all.

Yes NZ has the best team in principle, their record is undeniable but NO ONE has a god given right to rugby succes. Not even the All Blacks. And may the forces of the wallabies nature be powerful enough, the cup will be ours to keep.

David, the AB are ahead of the WB in many areas IMO but that does not mean they are going to win. Blood sweat and tears will be the difference and on the day, in rugby anything can happen.

Paul you are right the pumas have small backs with a lot of pace but did not crack the WBs defence.

A bit worried about the 10 line breaks. If Nonu Smith or Savea does that next week end but what the hell. Live by the sword boys…

Go Wallabies !!! Recharge this week and bring bloody Bill back home on the week end!!!!!!

Glenn, a difference between club and national squad is important to underline in english football. The English FA did not take the world cup seriously for a long time as they were of the thought that the English natiomal team was superior to the rest and they took it as an insult to play in a world cup to prove that. It is well documented and in some world cups pre 1950 they did not even turn up. In 62 they seriously went to sweden and got a bit of a reality check. So they organized 66 and made sure they were gonna win it. So between 34 and 66 when italy, uruguay and brazil baged 2 each, England was yawning. Since they ve had the epl there are that many foreign players in england playing in EPL and first division thst the english guys dont get a gernsey. Same with the top 14 in france.

If they can avoid injuries as per the ladt 10 years and their top guns actually doing what they are meant to do, the gunners can rack up the EPL this year.

Greg, great analysis onne more time. Do you believe that if this style play further develop and dominates games arw we looking at players being more and more all rounders and the game storring towards rugby league?

Stephen, May i ask what was the french provincial side prefering kick boxing to playing? Reminded me when i was a colt (160 years ago) and you knew that some geographic areas were going to give it to you if they were behind the score 15 min before the final whilstle. Am thinking particularly of the bezier, Albi, Agen and Toulon districts.

Bakkies, that s actually 3 coaches as Bernard Laporte in 07 had been appointed Sport Minister by Nicolas Sarkhozy before he started the RWC. This time they have Guy Noves who is older but a reformer and has a view about how the game should be played. Not sure how long he s been signed for but the longer he stays and the longer the reform can be implemented including a national coaching agenda. Chimnay questioned his appoitment but to me he is the man for the job if he is allowed to make a broad range of changes long term.

He is so emotional about it that when he s got the ball he forget to pass it (i am not a fan of the guy, good player but should not play in this team )

Ta Chinmay. Once people get to realize the psychology of the country and the love hate relationship between France anf England actually spreads into an inferiority complex and i would go as far as saying that in decision making circles the French are frustrated English, then it makes it helps to understand why things are where they are at. And they are too proud to consider how things are done in the southern hemisphere.

Chinmay, ProudScot and Sheek, thanks for your input and passion about the subject and you have made many points most of all very correct and reflecting how complex the solution to the matter is. ( Some points are subject for minor detail debate behind a glass of Merlot.)

May i add to your points the 7 deadly sins:

2003 England wins the RWC against a fab Wallabies side with 2 weapons 1 kicker and a massive pack of forwards. The French federation was not only insulted at watching the poms winning the rwc they decided that their saving grace would be to play like that. Big mistake to depart from your DNA, i revert back to the Steve Hansen quote about England: “they have been tryimg to play an unatural style of rugby for some time… Etc etc” all driven by Envy, Wrath and greed.

English premier league soccer: the French are jealous of yhw succes of the EPL and have had their players raided by english clubs. Their clubs cant compete because of the idiots from the ENA school who are governimg the country dont want to legislate to make the clubs fiscally competitive. But all those big wigs rightly pointed out that Rugby was a good value sport #2 in the country and the creation of a french league backed by the local big businesses could be a goer. Jalousy and Glutonny and lust the main drivers. Also transposing a model that did not work for England. That s sloth.

Pride, the hardest to overcome and the simplest of sins and so well aligned to the French psyche. In their heist to embroid a cup on the sleeve of their jumper at any cost, the French have simply beem overzealous in glorifying and overrating their list their grass roots system for years thereby thinking the inflyx of talent would keep on coming. The FFR did not lay the turf for an endless supply of players. Sheek pointed out the eclosion of Handball and basketball players but that comes from planting “sport etudes” (advanced sport+studies) with the french education system. Today if you are a colt and want to play rugby it costs 1000 euros in insurance cost… Yet there are more injured handball players than rugby players. The difference is they play at school and the educatiom covers that.

It is their PRIDE that is costing French rugby the most as PRIDe s bigfest enemy is HUMiLiTY and desire for CHANGE. A word thst does not exist in French anymore.

only this week Paul Goze head of the ligue declared that discussion about Players signed up to Federal contracts instead of of clubs was out of question.

I heard on french medias that the players discussed during the week before the game what to do during the haka. After their surprising maori formation in 2011 which will remain in rugby memories for ever, they collectively decided not to do anything as they did not want to look ridiculous in case they were going to get flogged. So that means that the game was lost before it even started and probably from the moment when gave up trying against ireland (60 min mark approx)

Beale has vastly improved his defence which means it was a poor area of his game but to me it is not to the standard of a world cup semi. Against the scots he still had too many should height tackles. Imagine that against imnof or Fernandez.

Again, I am not a fan of the guy and am a rebel supporter and we have not forgotten him here. Unfortunately.

Ouch Jake. This article would even hurt a Scotsman.

To me it is the second time this world cup the WBs are having a deja vu situation although what happened on monday morning was at the same level of the comp as the 91 rwc. The other situation is the clip of the ball by David Campese had against England in the final in what was going to be a sure try which is similar to a clip by Foley also against England but in the pool matches.

Good work Elisha and not much to add on your wrap up except the wallabies are showing a few signs of wear and tear after those big games. It is even more noticeable with Izzy and David in the squad. Hopefully that group of death is not the group of the slow death by 1000 cuts for the WBs… Another big game this week end…

Redsking, stability is good in coaching and the best examples and Graham Henry with NZ and Warren Gaitland with Wales. The down side is the earlu sacling2 of Jones who went on bigger and stronger from there. Since then Organizations have learnt from that and are less prone for overreacting at every loss.

PSA did a good job as coach of Gloucester, Sale and Toulon so i dont agree with you on his credentials. He was less psychologically head strong and less astute with his players than Lievremont althougn he had little coaching experience.

This is a goos idea Paul. In Rugby terms it would equate to the SANZAR model where players are contracted to their Union. In Europe the players are owned by the clubs.

Tough games under the most under rated in the comp (that includes Japan). They have caused us grief in recent encounters and were hanging in there until the last minute. Vern Cotter is transforming this Scotland team and that s great to see them competitive again.

Wallabies are starting to show signs of wear and tear after all those big games. Especially the forwards and couple of lapses cost us at least 10 points.

The scottish front row had the measure of our front row for a good part of the game and that s a bit of a worry against the Argies.

Patrick, you re right regarding the yellow cards but not sure if 2020 summit style discussion will solve anything. The refs need to chill out a bit. Re Izzy, yes need him back and same with David. We drop 20% of our game capacity without them.