France

[simonokeeffe]

A quick look to the stats of the french team of the 1st Test. (source http://www.itsrugby.fr/ )

Domingo 30 games this season.
Guirado 27
Mas 36
Maestri 34
Vahaamanina 30
Chouly 35
Ouedraogo 15
Le Roux 30
Machenaud 32
Michalak 20
Huget 33
Fickou 35
Fofana 25
Le Bourhis 22
Bonneval 27

Subs:
Bastareaud 35
Dulin 32
Flanquart 29
Debaty 33
Slimani 33
Tolofua 36
Parra 25
Burban 27
Lamerat 30

whats it in minutes though?
Fickou has been on bench for half the season, the props especially all rotated/subbed off often as are halfbacks

[ceemec]

A quick look to the stats of the french team of the 1st Test. (source http://www.itsrugby.fr/ )

Domingo 24 starts this season, 4 sub appearances.
Guirado 21 starts this season, 4 sub appearances.
Mas 26 starts this season, 8 sub appearances
Maestri 26 starts this season, 7 sub appearances
Vahaamanina 17 starts this season, 12 sub appearances
Chouly 21 starts this season, 13 sub appearances
Ouedraogo 9 starts this season, 4 sub appearances
Le Roux 19 starts this season, 9 sub appearances
Machenaud 24 starts this season, 6 sub appearances
Michalak 10 starts this season, 8 sub appearances
Huget 29 starts this season, 3 sub appearances
Fickou 18 starts this season, 15 sub appearances
Fofana 23 starts this season, 1 sub appearance
Le Bourhis 20 starts this season, 0 sub appearances
Bonneval 23 starts this season, 2 sub appearances

I've edited in what they've played up until yesterday (which doesn't really have a bearing on their game time coming into the game so is left out). Some of the numbers you posted don't appear to be accurate. I've broken them out between starts and sub appearances. Overall, nothing out of the ordinary in terms of game time for a season relative to other seasons. Mas and Maestri are the leaders but both would have come off in most of their starts also (Mas played 80 minutes once this season).

[offshorerules]

A quick look to the stats of the french team of the 1st Test. (source http://www.itsrugby.fr/ )

Domingo 30 games this season.
Guirado 27
Mas 36
Maestri 34
Vahaamanina 30
Chouly 35
Ouedraogo 15
Le Roux 30
Machenaud 32
Michalak 20
Huget 33
Fickou 35
Fofana 25
Le Bourhis 22
Bonneval 27

Subs:
Bastareaud 35
Dulin 32
Flanquart 29
Debaty 33
Slimani 33
Tolofua 36
Parra 25
Burban 27
Lamerat 30

So not a single one has played 40 games this season. So their reason for appearing disinterested is what?

[fourthirtythree]

Mr. Thornley charges for the use of that . . .

as long as they're not hors de combat[/quote]
Not a Sou for M. Thornley!

They were certainly "hors de jou" the other day.

26 games is a lot. I mean Jamie Heaslip only played what? About 25 (80 minutes for each one of course). Plus a few Lions games also which delayed his return to Leinster duty of course. He would probably have started yesterday only Schmidt doesn't like to use players that haven't had the full preparation time and he had a final to play.

Johnny looked pretty sharp and willing after 25 games for Racing and (again I'm not sure) 7 for Ireland?

[Vamos los azules]

26 games is a lot. I mean Jamie Heaslip only played what? About 25 (80 minutes for each one of course). Plus a few Lions games also which delayed his return to Leinster duty of course. He would probably have started yesterday only Schmidt doesn't like to use players that haven't had the full preparation time and he had a final to play.

Johnny looked pretty sharp and willing after 25 games for Racing and (again I'm not sure) 7 for Ireland?

To continue the theme...According to the Quins website Chris Robshaw played 22 league matches for Quins this season, playing 80 minutes in all but one of them. On top of that he has played 9 matches for England and I am fairly certain he played 80 minutes in each of those as well.

As players go I would say he is well towards the upper end in minutes played with 31 matches played since the start of September and 80 minutes in 30 of those. He didn't seem to lack for motivation against New Zealand even after that heavy workload.

[leinster4life13]

Forget about minutes played etc, that is all a distraction, you have an PSA picking Michalak(who went hiding at times in the Aus match, joining won rucks and leaving forwrds in the ten channel) on the grounds Trinh Duc needs rest, the same Trinh Duc played for the World XV against the Boks that same day, France being a rabble is entirely at PSA's door, second only to Kidney in being an utter joke of a coach who lucked into a few trophies and somehow was given a national job, he is a disgrace, I love watching France and this has made them unwatchable, a rabble.

[Vamos los azules]

26 games is a lot. I mean Jamie Heaslip only played what? About 25 (80 minutes for each one of course). Plus a few Lions games also which delayed his return to Leinster duty of course. He would probably have started yesterday only Schmidt doesn't like to use players that haven't had the full preparation time and he had a final to play.

Johnny looked pretty sharp and willing after 25 games for Racing and (again I'm not sure) 7 for Ireland?

To continue the theme...According to the Quins website Chris Robshaw played 22 league matches for Quins this season, playing 80 minutes in all but one of them. On top of that he has played 9 matches for England and I am fairly certain he played 80 minutes in each of those as well.

As players go I would say he is well towards the upper end in minutes played with 31 matches played since the start of September and 80 minutes in 30 of those. He didn't seem to lack for motivation against New Zealand even after that heavy workload.

Some further research shows that while he wasn't playing this weekend Owen Farrell has also played 31 matches this season and his minutes are pretty high because they were mostly starts rather than coming on as a replacement.

I would hazard a guess he would have thrown himself into the New Zealand match with the same enthusiasm as Robshaw after that workload, although I am slightly shocked that a 22 year old out half is notching up those levels of playing minutes.

[Toulon fan]

So not a single one has played 40 games this season. So their reason for appearing disinterested is what?

Nothing. You're right, they're just lazy guys. No matter most of them ends their season 2 months ago and all were off their off-season summer holidays to gigling like jet lagged clowns in a winter mid-season australian side.

A quick look to the stats of the french team of the 1st Test. (source http://www.itsrugby.fr/ )

Domingo 24 starts this season, 4 sub appearances.
Guirado 21 starts this season, 4 sub appearances.
Mas 26 starts this season, 8 sub appearances
Maestri 26 starts this season, 7 sub appearances
Vahaamanina 17 starts this season, 12 sub appearances
Chouly 21 starts this season, 13 sub appearances
Ouedraogo 9 starts this season, 4 sub appearances
Le Roux 19 starts this season, 9 sub appearances
Machenaud 24 starts this season, 6 sub appearances
Michalak 10 starts this season, 8 sub appearances
Huget 29 starts this season, 3 sub appearances
Fickou 18 starts this season, 15 sub appearances
Fofana 23 starts this season, 1 sub appearance
Le Bourhis 20 starts this season, 0 sub appearances
Bonneval 23 starts this season, 2 sub appearances

I've edited in what they've played up until yesterday (which doesn't really have a bearing on their game time coming into the game so is left out). Some of the numbers you posted don't appear to be accurate. I've broken them out between starts and sub appearances. Overall, nothing out of the ordinary in terms of game time for a season relative to other seasons. Mas and Maestri are the leaders but both would have come off in most of their starts also (Mas played 80 minutes once this season).

But you're taking the wrong stats.
You just picked the Top14 + Hcup times. Forgetting the France times. You have to pick on the "total" column...

[fourthirtythree]

That's what was done with everyone else too. Nobody played 40 games.

Yes, a lot of the French players were on the high side: a lot weren't also so they would have no excuse (if we were accepting your excuse, which I don't think many people are), but so were a lot of other players for other teams, some of whom played rather well at the weekend.

[ceemec]

I haven't, TF. The numbers above include international appearances up to last week.

[JB1973]

France were terrible, no game plan, no defensive cohesion and a real lack of passion.

If I were them in the short term I'd bit the bullet sack PSA and bring in Jake White. Then in the long run I'd put a cap on the number of non French players a side can have , they are getting worse year on year and nothing is being done by the FFR

[offshorerules]

Please,please,please don't sack PSA before the world cup.

[simonokeeffe]

France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Maxime Médard, 10 Rémi Talès , 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Alexandre Flanquart, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Alexandre Menini.
Replacements: 16 Brice Mach, 17 Thomas Domingo, 18 Nicolas Mas, 19 Bernard le Roux, 20 Louis Picamoles, 21 Antoine Burban, 22 Frédéric Michalak, 23 Remi Lamerat.

debatable choice of props BUT he has picked an outhalf AND Parra, dangerous warning signs of the ship turning

[leinster4life13]

Nyanga is such a lazy b$&%@#d, he looks good on occasion, same with Medard, but more often then not, both just cruise through games. Australia to win again.

[offshorerules]

A French side that includes Dusautoir is always a different prospect but if their attitudes are wrong again I don't see much change in the result.

[ratpack]

Stronger team this week and you would hope that they'll react positively to the drubbing last week. Still expect them to lose by 15+ points.

[Lamb of BOD]

France were terrible, no game plan, no defensive cohesion and a real lack of passion.

If I were them in the short term I'd bit the bullet sack PSA and bring in Jake White. Then in the long run I'd put a cap on the number of non French players a side can have , they are getting worse year on year and nothing is being done by the FFR

Were the all that much better under Lievremont? The real issue (for French rugby - at least from where I;m standing) is your closing statement - they're getting worse, and they will continue to get worse - until they start to enforce the salary cap. At the moment, there is really no incentive for the top clubs to nurture French talent when they can bring in 'ready-made' starters and top up their salaries to levels way exceeding the salary cap. (I appreciate this is perfectly legal, but it makes the notion of a salary cap redundant). Totally agree with your point, but I would doubt that even White could turn this crowd into world beaters. The free-spending of the Top 14 certainly presents a significant challenge to Leinster, but it's really helping our national side gain competitive advantage over the French.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

The new half backs should make a big difference. Machenaud had a horror show last week and Parra is much stronger mentally.

[offshorerules]

The new half backs should make a big difference. Machenaud had a horror show last week and Parra is much stronger mentally.

Tough little b*****d too, Parra. Hate it when my teams are playing against him. Can be a dirty little focker as well.

[simonokeeffe]

The new half backs should make a big difference. Machenaud had a horror show last week and Parra is much stronger mentally.

Tough little b*****d too, Parra. Hate it when my teams are playing against him. Can be a dirty little focker as well.

he is fond of diving too
Am amazed he was picked as he might be too strong a personality for PSA (to control)