NH squads EOYT 2010

[Jethro Tah]

A thread to post team announcements and news of the opposition for the EOYT.

I'll start. Here are Les Bleus:

Forwards : Domingo (Clermont), Servat (Toulouse), Szarzewski (Stade), Guirado (Perpignan), Schuster (Perpignan), Mas (Perpignan), Ducalcon (Castres), Nallet (Racing-Metro), Pierre (Clermont) , Pape (Stade), Millo-Chluski (Toulouse), Dusautoir (Toulouse, cap.) Harinordoquy (Biarritz), Bonnaire (Clermont), Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Chabal (Racing-Metro), Lapandry (Clermont).

Backs : Parra (Clermont), Yachvili (Biarritz), Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Traille (Biarritz), Esteban (Brive), Jauzion (Toulouse), Marty (Perpignan), Rougerie (Clermont), Andreu (Castres), Huget (Bayonne), Arias (Stade French), Medard (Toulouse), Palisson (Brive), Porical (Perpignan).

 

[dobduff11]

England:

Hooker George Chuter Hooker Dylan Hartley Hooker Steve Thompson
Prop Dan Cole Prop Paul Doran-Jones Prop Joe Marler Prop Tim Payne Prop Andrew Sheridan Prop David Wilson
Lock Dave Attwood Lock Courtney Lawes Lock Tom Palmer Lock Simon Shaw
Flanker Tom Croft Flanker Hendre Fourie Flanker James Haskell Flanker Lewis Moody (c) Flanker Tom Wood Flanker Joe Worsley
Number 8 Nick Easter Number 8 Dan Ward-Smith

Scrum-half Danny Care Scrum-half Ben Youngs
Fly-half Toby Flood Fly-half Charlie Hodgson
Centre Bradley Barritt Centre Riki Flutey Centre Shontayne Hape Centre Mike Tindall Centre Dominic Waldouck
Wing Chris Ashton Wing Matt Banahan Wing Mark Cueto Wing David Strettle
Fullback Delon Armitage Fullback Ben Foden

 

[Lee Grant]

It looks like a fairly useful squad on paper but it always does. I don't think they played that well against us when they we here notwithstanding that they beat us when Gits missed a kick right in front; but we were worse than they were. They'll play a lot better at HQ though.


2. Thompson is back from Brive and playing like a young pup in a crap team, Leeds. I don't think that there will be too many changes from the team that won in Sydney and he'll hold his place, even though Kiwi Hartley is in the squad. Hartley's moaning petulance must be downgrading assessments of him.


The props will be better than ours unless Fat Cat and Alexander can get back to their international form before their injuries. dobduff mentioned more young England guys are getting chances than Aussies in pro rugby and a case in point for him is the selection of 1. Joe Marler from Quins. Joe is only 20 years old and has a haircut like De Niro in Taxi Driver but he's a dirty, rotten cheating LHP who gets away with murder – and therefore is admirable in my eyes. His future will be defined in how he scrummages, but he knows how to get around the park. He won't be playing against Oz at HQ, but he's a promising player and I think we'll be hearing about him for a long time.


In the second row Lawes has being playing well for the Saints. He's the athletic type who Johnno is finally turning to – and overlooking the likes of Borthwick. It will be interesting if Shaw gets to hang around for very long though they'll probably need a good TH lock for a while yet. Attwood is an aggressive newish player and looked good for the Pom dirt-tracker team here a few months ago in Gosford.


It will be vital that the admirable 7. Moody proves he is fit to play NZ as they are a lesser team without him. The Poms are in the same boat as us in that they have only one reasonable bruiser no.8 so they have added Kiwi DWS, who is even older than Easter. Serves them right for having guys qualified for Scotland, Fiji, Wales, South Africa, plus a 2nd Kiwi, playing in the position in the Premiership.


9. Youngs is in cracking form as I have reported in other posts and 10. Flood is looking good too. The injury to Jonny is not as critical as in days when he moved earth and heaven, but if it's a wet game at HQ he will be missed.


The midfield is the weak point of the England team IMO. Barritt is playing well, but won't be picked, and what you see is what you get with Tindall: the good, the bad, and most certainly - the ugly.


The back three of Cueto, Ashton and Foden are class. Armitage is playing well in a strong Exiles team this season after a problematic 2009/10 but I expect the admirable Foden to keep his place.


I think that the Kiwis will sort these Poms out and put in a 20 minute burst that will turn the match on its head. England are a bit like us when they have lost in big games in recent years: they talk about what-ifs afterwards. I think this will be another what-if game for them but also think that more or less the same players will be of sterner stuff in the RWC.

 

[Nusadan]

A thread to post team announcements and news of the opposition for the EOYT.

I'll start. Here are Les Bleus:

Forwards : Domingo (Clermont), Servat (Toulouse), Szarzewski (Stade), Guirado (Perpignan), Schuster (Perpignan), Mas (Perpignan), Ducalcon (Castres), Nallet (Racing-Metro), Pierre (Clermont) , Pape (Stade), Millo-Chluski (Toulouse), Dusautoir (Toulouse, cap.) Harinordoquy (Biarritz), Bonnaire (Clermont), Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Chabal (Racing-Metro), Lapandry (Clermont).

Backs : Parra (Clermont), Yachvili (Biarritz), Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Traille (Biarritz), Esteban (Brive), Jauzion (Toulouse), Marty (Perpignan), Rougerie (Clermont), Andreu (Castres), Huget (Bayonne), Arias (Stade French), Medard (Toulouse), Palisson (Brive), Porical (Perpignan).

Interesting...no Toulon players there...

 

[Lee Grant]

No mystery why. When you see them play a big home game so you can work out who they think their best team is, you can play spot the Frenchman.

Hayman, Smith, van Niekerk, Wilkinson, Sackey, Lamont, Wulf, Fernandez-Lobbe and Mignoni wont be playing too many test matches for France.

 

[Nusadan]

The Top 14 rules only allow for certain number of foreigners in each team's squad...that's why last season Henjak only played Heieneken Cup for Toulon...so there has to be a few Frenchies in that team...

 

[Lee Grant]

France

I don't know what to make of this French squad but to be fair I don't know who is missing because of injury.


One thing I am sure about is that 2. Szarzewski is lucky to be there and not suspended. Last weekend playing for SF he walked up to theToulon hooker looked him in the eye and head butted him. I thought a red card for sure but ref Gauzere, a wimp at the best of times, gave just a penalty – and I can't even remember if the penalty was for that incident. Only in France – yet their refs will give a card, no-problemo, if somebody's studs strokes the arse of a player on the ground killing the ball.


LHP Barcella from Biarritz hasn't played this year in the games I've seen of the team, but that lot will do OK without him against any SH side methinks. 1. Schuster is an interesting choice and they're probably having a look at him whilst Barcella is out.


Servat is arguably the best fit hooker in world rugby but whilst the locks are good they are not stellar. The back row however is outstanding. 8 Harinordoquy is the form no.8 in the world and the estimable 6/7 Dusautoir is right up there too. Another 6/7 is Ouedraogo, who plays well in tandem with the skipper. Chabal is in form too and it looks like he will be a back up for 6 or 8. An indication of the depth they have is that 6. Bonnaire is in the squad also, and in-form again 8. Picamoles is not even listed.


Parra is no longer the future of French rugby but the present, and old fox Yachvili, thought to be of the past, is in the form of his life. Oz is the only big opponent France have in the autumn tests so they will probably play the experienced Yak against us though I wouldn't be surprised if I am wrong.


I haven't seen much of Trinh-Duc this year, but he's fairly steady-Eddie player, but it looks like (from the order of listing the names) that Traille is going to be his back-up. This could be hilarious as the big fella made a mess of playing the position for a while last year – or maybe it was the year before.


I've never heard of Estaban, whose name is in the flyhalf area on the list, though it may be a mis-type for Estabanez who has played 10 before but is mainly a 12 IIRR . If it is, he doesn't look good enough to be in the squad from what I remember of him as I haven't seen Brive this year. There's no Skrela listed; he could be hurt but he's in no form anyway. Wiznieski of Racing came back from injury recently but he's not picked so Le Wiz may have come back too soon. He's a cracking flyhalf and better than FTD in my eyes.


The midfield depth is brilliant and filled with galacticos. Mermoz isn't even listed; he may be hurt but if he isn't they'd have to leave somebody out – and it shouldn't be Jauzion who was omitted 12 months ago, if I recall correctly, and is playing the house down. Big bopper Bastareaud is not named though I don't think he is hurt. He's in form and his ball work has improved out of sight, but his indiscipline on and off the field may have counted against him. He also looks like more of a porker than ever if that can be believed.


In the back 3 the 30+ guys, Heymans and Clerc have missed out but all the others are top players including the exciting Pallison who can play fullback too. Huget is an interesting choice and obviously getting a run in front of the older fellows, just to see. I hope that Porical gets the 15 jersey against Oz though, as he was unlucky last year IMO. I've just noticed that there is no Pointrenaud. Just like the midfield: someone had to miss out.


Lievremont knows all about the older guys missing out and they are not necessarily gone for all time. France are playing Oz this autumn but the only other games are against Argentina, who they would be favoured to beat, plus Fiji. My opinion is that he is having another look at alternative players in a few positions this autumn; so the teams in the first two games may look a bit goofy, but the best from the squad will play against Oz.


Then one assumes, his 6N squad will be the RWC squad, give or take for the usual reasons.

 

[dobduff11]

Their front row is usually quality, back row has great depth.

9. Parra - played brilliantly last year for france and clermont, one of the best 9's in the NH
10. Trinh-Duc - played well last year, good runner, average kicker some improvement could be made
Centres - Quality depth proably best in the world along with NZ

My guess at the starting XV:
1. Domingo
2. Servat
3. Mas
4. Nallet
5. Pape
6. Dussatoir
7. Ouedraogo
8. Harrydonkey

9. Parra
10. Trinh Duc
11. Andreu
12. Jauzion
13. Marty
14. Rougerie
15. Palisson / Medard / Porical

 

[Lee Grant]

Nusadan

Sounds fine - so name a couple in the Toulon squad who deserve to be in the French squad and also name who they should replace. Hard isn't it?

The point is not that Toulon don't have French players, the point is that their top team doesn't have a lot and that's why none were picked.

As I said: no mystery.

 

[dobduff11]

Seb Bruno hooker, played for France a few times but hes past it

Pierre mignoni scrum half is pretty decent, he could still make the france squad

They are the only two I can find that have caps but both haven't represented for a while

 

[Nusadan]

[Referring to long-winded report by yours truly (above)]

And you typed all that in your lucky Rivers undies at 3am in the morning?

Touche...I'd have thought that law of averages and with Toulon's reasonable position in the Top 14 comp, there'd be a player or two somewhere in the French squad...

 

[Lee Grant]

Nah - I did most of it on a word processor before the test match - but I like your story better.

 

[Lee Grant]

The commentators in the Toulouse v Toulon match said that Trinh-Duc had a hamstring tear and that winger Huget was injured too. Looks like Wiznieski will get the call-up.

 

[tranquility]

Ouedraogo (Montpellier), is one of the most promising young backrowers getting around in my opinion. Not a first XV player for France yet, but their backrow talent is pretty formidable.

I have just seen that both of you are predicting that he will be the starting 7. I did not realise that he had superseded Bonnaire, but Im glad that you both agree that he is a super talent.