What will the effect of France's poor tournament be?

Is it simply a case of sack the coach or will there be a bigger effect on the influx of foreigners in the T14, taking away 1st team places from the next generation of french internationals? Will they start to liit the number of NFQs? Would this be good for the rest of us or not? For wales I think it is a good thing that some.of our elite players move abroad and make room for new talent in the regions. If the french put a cap on NFQ surely they'd be more inclined to keep non 6N pluses to be available during 6N tournament.

The effect will be to yet again lull New Zealand into a false sense of security.

Saint-André might be dumb in some people's eyes but I smell a rat in France's oh so woeful attempts to play real rugby, being stuffed with very real players.

Even now..this far out...this is a World Cup cold war period we're all in.

SecretFly wrote:The effect will be to yet again lull New Zealand into a false sense of security.

Saint-André might be dumb in some people's eyes but I smell a rat in France's oh so woeful attempts to play real rugby, being stuffed with very real players.

Even now..this far out...this is a World Cup cold war period we're all in.

Indeed, June could still be very interesting (unless the French clubs break all their players 1st)

the 1st test in NZ might be an actual bloodbath as it's too close to the T14 final for any of the concerned players to be part of it. PSA will issue a 1st list in may and expect a few rookies to go to NZ as well.
Please ABs , be kind to us...

generally, the problem is not really NFQs players in the T14 : appart from specific positions such as 10 and maybe 3, there should be enough quality and depth.
the biggest issue is that the FFR is run by a bunch of dinosaurs who did not realise that rugby has changed since the 70s and that is now a professional sport. clubs are not involved in any decision and therefore are not keen to help the french team for free... I insist on the last word as this is what clubs get for their players when they are away playing for france: nothing. if you compare to the english system where teams have a real incentive cash wise for their internationals , down here they lose players they actually pay a lot and get nothing in exchange, not even a ticket for the game and often get them back injured with no insurance cover... how can you expect them to release the players an extra week before any tournament or test match as its the case with the other 6N nations?
something has to give but there is certainly a lack of direction/vision from the FFR : if the french team has to be the number one priority then better start gicing some euros to the clubs instead of spending all the money on expesnive trips and hotels or bottles of chateaux margaux at lunch!

Une cuillere en bois................I think it will create quite a stir.

Not much they will win the six nations next year they always do after the lions

sirtidychris wrote:Not much they will win the six nations next year they always do after the lions

its true and i have no idea why...though this year was such a shocker for them that you wonder how they could go from 6th to 1st...perhaps only France could do that though...surrender one minute, seize the day the next...very Gallic.

100%beefy wrote:

sirtidychris wrote:Not much they will win the six nations next year they always do after the lions

its true and i have no idea why...though this year was such a shocker for them that you wonder how they could go from 6th to 1st...perhaps only France could do that though...surrender one minute, seize the day the next...very Gallic.

If it involved Benoît Baby that would be very Metallica.

"Re: What will the effect of France's poor tournament be?"

If theyre consistent they'll win or go close in the series in NZ.

whocares wrote:the 1st test in NZ might be an actual bloodbath as it's too close to the T14 final for any of the concerned players to be part of it. PSA will issue a 1st list in may and expect a few rookies to go to NZ as well.
Please ABs , be kind to us...

generally, the problem is not really NFQs players in the T14 : appart from specific positions such as 10 and maybe 3, there should be enough quality and depth.
the biggest issue is that the FFR is run by a bunch of dinosaurs who did not realise that rugby has changed since the 70s and that is now a professional sport. clubs are not involved in any decision and therefore are not keen to help the french team for free... I insist on the last word as this is what clubs get for their players when they are away playing for france: nothing. if you compare to the english system where teams have a real incentive cash wise for their internationals , down here they lose players they actually pay a lot and get nothing in exchange, not even a ticket for the game and often get them back injured with no insurance cover... how can you expect them to release the players an extra week before any tournament or test match as its the case with the other 6N nations?
something has to give but there is certainly a lack of direction/vision from the FFR : if the french team has to be the number one priority then better start gicing some euros to the clubs instead of spending all the money on expesnive trips and hotels or bottles of chateaux margaux at lunch!

Completely agree - there is a major disjoint between the clubs and the FFR. It's obvious that the clubs are successful businesses who regard the demands of their union as a nuisance and Guy Noves has done everything but say so outright on a number of occasions.

I can't offer any insight as to why, as a collective, France were so merde this year. I don't think that they'll be panicking about non-French qualified players just yet but it surely cannot go unnoticed after their clear problems at fly half, that in the Top 14's top three clubs the main 10's are all foreigners - Brock James at Clermont, Jonny Wilkinson at Toulon and Luke McAllister at Toulouse. Stade signing Morne Steyn is yet another example of this. Great for the clubs and their merchandising, terrible for the development of national team players.

I just think that possibly the situation in the T14 is a mirror of what has occurred in the football premiership and england. The more foreigners entered the premiership the worse england seem to get, would french rugby fans accept this happening to them? Is it better to have a successful national team who you can support for 9-10 matches per year or your club who you can watch for less, have to travel less distance to see and watch 30+ matches per year?

Bernard Jackman was on RTE saying the French clubs are not concerned about developing players or the French national side. Their aim is the club. Jackman coaches in France.

The French union tried to limit the number of non French players but the clubs kicked up a fuss so there isn't alot the union can do.

The French U20 teams are also not great these days. They scored a block down try against Ireland a few weeks back and that was their only core in the match.

If France do and have disimproved both in technique and in players available due to non-French players taking up positions in...well, 14 club sides. (which seems a lot of sides to pick from still regardless of foreign contingents.)......... But if they are at or getting close to that stage, then they should be coming down to perhaps somewhere in the top-middle end of the leader boards in Europe.

I mean, they're going to fall onto some of us who are trying to keep up ourselves. They still have no excuses for being last. And I wouldn't expect it to continue for long or to become the norm.