The French get a bad rap for many things. And so, with a sense of surprise (as an atheist) I have to say 'Thank God for the French'.
the France/Ireland game was excellent. both sides were evenly matched and prepared to throw the ball around, and keep hold of it in tackles. I know, shocking. Interestingly there were far fewer scrums than in other matches, which certainly helped the speed of the game. The French first five/halfback combination is excellent, very fast, and because of that getting the ball out wide worked well. But to their credit, the Irish combo did the same. Ryan O'Gara is an excellent sub for the last few minutes, but shouldn't be their first choice.
What was interesting, and from a WorldCup perspective, worrying, is the ability of the French to weather the storm, hang in, and then start building an attack from scratch. Their response when they got the ball was reminiscent of the All Blacks in speed - the first half, where Ireland had the greater percentage of possession and territory reminded me of the Tri-Nations. The French seemed to be able to score from anywhere.
I'm not convinced that England are the team to beat. I stand by the French winning the 6 nations.
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