What a cracker tomorrow...

France is without captain Dusautoir and the best fflanker in the world and no 10 Tales…match winners in their own style but still have heavy artillery all round…Picamoles, Mas, Pape, Bastareaud...Plisson is a new boy who has a testing apprenticeship against a strong and determined England...England to edge them in the pack but a game that is impossible to predict…whatever the outcome is, it’s going to be marginal…one penalty might seal it. That is the general opinion.

The loss of Tuilagi is not a train smash as Burrell looks well to compensate. England will be hard in the tight loose but France on home soil will give the extra additive in the fuel…my prediction…France 17, England 11.

Rooinek

I for one think the  French is going to beat England.   Problem is I do not have a single English player in my Test Rugby side - that is how little I think of the English team,

Yes I agree that Tuilagi is a game changer and one of the best...I did not say in the context that Burrell was better...any fool knows that...all I said (due to unfortunate circumstances) he is good substitute...to state the obvious...rugby is a 15 man game and where does the loss of one player be an excuse for a loss...if that's the case then we will be in a never ending augument...when NZ lose Carter do they look for compensation and justification for their loss??

Afterall France is without their captain Dusautior and their effective no 10 Tales...one player missing due to injury or mis- selection is never something to harp on.

The sooner we learn that the better...their are no "ifs" and sad stories or excuses...you have to make the most of the players on hand and those chosen.

hey mikey...do you need

with the crap that floats around ...yeah the odds are on France but the Poms are a good side.

Seb

As you see I m back where  belong - no brooklex needed - it comes naturally.  

 Ceradine...truthfully I have not followed Plisson. Having said that I'm always aware of Les Blues uncanny ability to select and ultimately produce good halves...they in my opinion (whatever that's worth...actually I stole that opinion a long time ago from stalwards like Keith Oxlee, Pieter Muller (first centre), just a few famous players that I knew...French halves have always been of top calibre). I remember Thierry La Croix in Natal, and the younger guys like Freddie Michalak, Dimitri Yachvili, Morgan Parra, Trinn Duc and now Tales...I won't even go back...there is a string of ongoing half backs...brilliant players that go back a long time. I really think the Latins have this position 9 times out of 10 sowned up. With exceptions, like Dan Carter, Keith Oxlee, Hugo Porta,  Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett, Georgie Gregan and our own Joost Van Der Westhuizen...all these guys were a step up from the normal half -back...and there are still many others which go back even further but we don;t remember or witnessed.

But, yes always be very wary of the halves France produces...they play the game from the halves...NZ caught on...DC...the best and SA have that potential in PL but only a few can see it. Any way I'm digressing...Plisson like so many others is the deep end...let's see. I believe there is some merit there...it won't make itself known until the end of one bout or two.What I suspect is that that Plisson is there because Tales is not...but rugby has always been like that...opportunities occur and it's a law...you make the best of your chances...one thing you can be sure is in the end it all comes out in the washing...the glory boys only last if they have staying power and consistency.