FRENCH HAVE LAST LAUGH

 

(Image taken from BBC)

 

Well our last match against France didn't go so well, that was last week's game at Twickenham, and we lost 21-15. Which means that you still have to back to the Six Nations when we beat Les Bleus 26-18. Trips to their place are another matter entirely, last time we crossed the Channel was in the '06 Six Nations. They made us look like absolute morons at the Stade de France while going on to beat us 31-6. We hadn't even beaten them outside England since the '03 World Cup semi at Stadium Australia(24-7). We hadn't actually beaten them in France since my A Levels. The '00 6 Nations to be precise. We won 15-9 at the Stade de France.

Furthermore, you are not meant to be able to beat the French in rugby at the Stade Velodrome, even the '03 side couldn't pull that off, the place is too full of French noise! We were supposed to field out first XV in this match, slight problem, Brian Ashton still couln't make up his mind on that, OK, Brian, beating the Welsh may not prove much but we're starting to skate on thin ice. Wilkinson and Nick Easter were back in business though but it was a case of "here goes nothing".

Having said then, it was England that made the early moves but another factor that came up early on was players on both sides blowing up. Both kickers missed early pens as well but Johnny was the one to draw first blood, slotting a pen after the French defence was caught in possession but even worse stupidity from England resulted in Jean-Baptiste Elissalde equalising. Cue further England attacks, further rumbles(including Simon Shaw getting sinbinned late on), and a second Elissalde penalty gave the French the lead and the French kicker got to slot two morepenalty after another English mistake and Shaw's foul, allowing France to lead 12-3 at half time!

England didn't hang around in starting a second half comeback attempt, Johnny immediately grabing a pen after the French got isolated. However the men in white were amongst other things, not getting their lineouts right and already dodged one French bullet before Les Bleus broke through, Frederic Michelak setting up Yannick Jauzion who ran through two English tackles for the tryline, Elissalde converting. Cue more rumbles but Johnny kept us in the match with another pen but that was really it for England. We had the odd chances for a try but were always running into a French wall. Elissalde added one last penalty after some dodgy(or at least technically illegal) English rucking. France won 22-9 and we can't really complain.

Elsewhere, Wales faced Argentina at the Millenium Stadium. The Argies opened the scoring with an Ignacio Corletto trywhich was converted by Frederico Todeschini but then the Welsh took over with Gareth Thomas, Alun-Wyn Jones and Mark Jones all grabbing tries and James Hook converting the lot of them. Hook then added a pen and though Todeschini replied with a pen of his own, Hook quickly restred the Welsh lead only for a second Corlletto try converted by Todeschini put the Pumas back in the mixer but the Welsh held out, conceding only one last Todeschini pen on the way to winning 27-20.

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