SPAGETTIED !!!
Publié le 14/03/2011
It had to happen, the one result that no Frenchman wanted to see or hear about, the dreaded defeat at the hands of our transalpine neighbours Italy. Since the game was lost in Italy on Saturday afternoon, many words have been spoken, players have been ejected from the National team while others, have been selected to play a mighty role against the Welsh in the final game of this seasons 6 Nations tournament next Saturday evening in Paris.
This will be by no means an easy task as we all know how Paris can turn very quickly on their favourite rugby players just as fast as Usain Bolt can run the 100 mts. and that’s fast.
With the World Cup around the corner in September, after next Saturday’s game against Wales, France have just 2 warm up games in the summer against Ireland, there is an awful lot of work to be done before all those players get on the plane for that trip of a lifetime to New Zealand.
Whether the coaches are kept in employment or not, that will probably be decisions considered after the events of next weekend, but if France are going to progress to the latter stages of the World Cup things are going to have to change in all departments.
The other side of the Alps the population is still celebrating the first time that Italy has beaten France in an official Tournament, the Italians deserved their victory as they have made tremendous progress since their entry into the 6 Nations in the year 2000.
No longer are the Italians the whipping boys of European rugby, they have to be respected at all costs and Scotland will be treading very gently this week, and next Saturday in Edinburgh they have an humongous task on their hands trying to calm this coming of age, by our Italian counterparts. This could be the match of the 6 Nations, whatever happens we are all in for a rugby feast next Saturday as the 3 games follow one after the other.
Steve Whittell.
