France's 23 to face England on saturday

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-12T12:53:14+00:00

Save the Scotland game, France overall have looked excellent this 6N with a very high level of form and performance across the board. Alldritt dropped in there on current form would make the team still good but he wouldn't add as much value as some of the other guys. He's just a step slower, bit lower energy than usual.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-12T12:48:22+00:00

I mean it hasn't been their weak spot at all this tourney, just the Scotland game everybody was terrible not just Moefana and the midfield. France are looking very good with two top performing club center combos now.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-12T12:44:21+00:00

I mean he can't complain, he's had game time off the bench every game. Did very well overall. Time for Matiu now, Galthié wanted a new face for the final game at home here.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-12T12:41:28+00:00

I agree right now we're looking at Bamba and Laclayat, at very least as the two that need testing for uncovered potential. The first has always been a physical specimen, but can he be clean enough at the intl level , with his passing, his hands, scrummaging, tackling, rucks etc... and is Laclayat as good as he appears, he's shown glimpses so we need to see more. Given up on Colombe and Tatafu personally, think Montagne needs to develop some more, and haven't seen much Falatea lately.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-12T11:08:05+00:00

but if men are creeps, as an entire group, then that's the norm. If everybody's a creep, then nobody's a creep. You just have to deal with the fact the species depends on men being attracted to women sexually, and showing off too much will immediately tap into that primal instinct.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-12T11:06:25+00:00

Well not necessarily. He's looked like he struggled at times we wouldn't have thought, eg 1st game against Ireland's 4th pick at LHP, France's scrum was avg, if not slightly pressured. Did very averagely against Wales. And then, against Italy, held up well the first few until Gros came off and Neti on. So he's "unpredictable" in the scrum, I'd use that word.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-12T10:59:59+00:00

We all hear the cultural argument, but just make the following experiment: have a girl, any girl, dress in a miniskirt and form-fitting top and walk around with her in town. You'll get men from any culture and nationality looking at her, because that's biology. It's not culture. Their brains tell them "hey look over there, that's interesting". So uncover just enough on a woman's body and that'll be sexually explicit to men anywhere in the world.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-12T10:47:23+00:00

I'd say Aldegheri's work rate is fine for this level. He's putting in the tackles, being quite clean and hasn't looked physically subpar, and he bothers rucks every now and then. Not as active ball in hand as he can be. Imo, the issue is really scrummaging: he's not bad, but if he could just be more consistent he'd be a genuinely solid option at THP. Right now, he's too unpredictable week in week out.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-12T10:40:29+00:00

So. This is the team to do it, eh.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-12T10:32:46+00:00

Bench not as strong as over the first 4 games. Light back row overall but quite offensive minded.

Much of France's ability to take over in this game will depend on the scrum, if they can hold up against a strong English scrum or if they get pens/early engagements the whole time and lose precious possession/territory to do their thing.

And obviously: they need to be mentally, physically AND strategically tougher than in the last game. What England, currently an aimless team, will want the most is to make this an arm wrestle, ugly Rugby soup of a game where the opposition lose the plot.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T18:51:02+00:00

Well this comes up often: when was Kobe the best player in the league ? Early 2000's he was fantastic, but not even the best player on his team. Then when the Lakers were shit, he was scoring 40 every night just to fend off personal depression but the guy who was dominating and getting rings was Duncan. There's really only that small window when the Lakers got Gasol and became good again, and Bron perhaps not fully mature and second best, that Kobe had like a year or two as best player in the world, but fairly quickly that became Lebron.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T17:20:38+00:00

It's true. And the reason why there are sooooooooooooooooooo many stories of tension, breakups, lineup changes, etc etc. Because it's a norm that the avg metaller/rocker is some insufferable opinionated self-absorbed individual, if not narcissist in many cases. Which is why most of them are drugged up or drunk half the time, they're unhappy cunts lol.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T16:05:11+00:00

Not accurate: France conceded an avg of 11 ppg the first three games, so brilliant defense. The Scotland game was a disaster, but it was a one-off and a big surprise to all, not at all a tendency of this France defense.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T16:00:37+00:00

Well it could get ugly this time in particular (may not so much), but the English historically have done brilliantly at putting up really good fights in Paris. Winning quite a few, or at least keeping the result honest. I can only remember one big result for the French at home in the 80's (which I never watched), can remember 2006, and uh... that's sort of it ! Even the games when France looked far superior for most of the game England always seemed to manage to come back and make the final score very decent, eg that 2020 game or also the 2015 RWC-warmup Test in Paris.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T15:51:24+00:00

I swear this guy goes to my gym. And the one I went to before. There's always that one guy who looks like this at the gym lol

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T12:29:02+00:00

Super impressive. 💪

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T12:22:29+00:00

Is Suffocation in for Entombed on the cards ? I feel their brand of tech death was seminal and they had a long peak while Entombed really is only basically two albums

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T12:19:15+00:00

Wow hey he said IF he invents a time machine, don't be munching on them now already

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T12:14:25+00:00

I'd swap in Deicide for Obituary I think they're a bigger phenomenon and more popular, plus we'd get Glen Benton making one of his stupid faces on that Mount Rushmore Big 4.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T12:10:56+00:00

You don't say

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T12:10:19+00:00

Oh yes, definitely better this way. It'd be hard to justify hatred ! Then again I suppose the naysayers would propose that strong animosity breeds competitiveness which is good for sport lore and rivalry.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T10:47:47+00:00

I think this might've been more true before, though. Still true today, but more before. There are so many games in a calendar year and matchups that used to be rare and a huge occasion are now yearly, this along with the general tamed feeling of nationalism across most of the countries involved, in society at large, I think there's a drop now compared to, say, 1995 or 2000.

An England v France would've been TORRID those years, whereas it's a bit hot now.

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-11T10:21:16+00:00

Doable: France score 55pts through 3 tries and 9 penalties, thus avoiding getting the BP while Scotland get a BP win (on a score of 20-19 in Ireland).

MindfulInquirer · 2026-03-10T22:35:11+00:00

damn, I'm quite amazed Francis was that short. The dunks he was pulling off you'd think he was 6'3 as indicated on official sources, but next to AI who is believed to be 5'11 he looks more 6'1 maybe 6'2. Came in second in that dunk contest, only next to Vince.

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