French fire the first shots in renewal of Hundred Years War
The warning shots were fired by team manager Jo Maso, better known for his slick passing and lightning sidesteps in the 1970s than his martial spirit.
“French people and English people don’t like each other. It’s a lasting fact since the Hundred Years War, since Joan of Arc,” he said. “Rugby union is a fighting game. Our sport allows people to fight on a pitch the wars they cannot fight any more on battlefields.”
“I never had the opportunity to face England,” said France coach Bernard Laporte, the former scrum half, who won the French Championship for Bordeaux-Begles in 1991 masterminding a team whose only tactic consisted of hiding the ball under a shell of forwards and pushing to the goal line. “I often say that English people have an arrogance that comes from their culture, from their past. I respect people who are arrogant but are good at playing rugby as the English are.
“I know a lot of people who are arrogant and don’t play good rugby. These people are bloody stupid and I don’t respect them.”
Sensing a controversy, French reporters ran from one player to another, asking them to comment on the “special relationship” between England and France. They were disappointed by senior team members. Flanker Olivier Magne was typically blunt: “You mean we don’t love each other? You are talking about a side issue, because on the pitch there are 30 players who respect each other very much and for whom what matters most is to turn a rugby game into a great event.”
Hooker and 1999 World Cup captain Raphael Ibanez added: “An England v France game will always be surrounded by historical references but for us it’s above all a high-level game.
“I think that with the advent of professionalism, players of our generation started to build up links over the borders and the atmosphere of international games changed dramatically.”
Younger players agreed. “As a rugby union player, one must always respect one’s opponents,” said 22-year-old Aurelien Rougerie, who played on the wing when France defeated England 20-15 at the Stade de France last year.
“I have respect for the English players as I have respect for any player in the world. Of course, there is some aggression on the field, but rugby is a physical game and a physical game means aggression but in the proper sense of the word.”
Laporte insists that his team will not specifically target England’s goal-kicking danger man Jonny Wilkinson at Twickenham.
Last year, France successfully negated the effectiveness of Wilkinson and that played a big part in their 20-15 win in Paris which denied England both Grand Slam and Six Nations titles. However, Laporte said: “We know Jonny is a dangerous player but there is no special plan against him.
“We must concentrate on him because we know he’s very dangerous but there is no anti-Wilkinson plan.
“We know we have to be careful when he has the ball and get in quickly because he can put us under pressure but there are other players we also need to watch.”
Laporte welcomed the international rugby board directive to referees instructing them to yellow-card and sin bin for 10 minutes players who do not roll away and allow the ball to be played quickly after tackles. France will work on it with Joel Dume, the French Rugby Federation national director of referees, part of their backroom team as refereeing consultant. “There are about 50 rules in the game and this is the one reason why the game lacks continuity in the phases,” said Laporte. “It’s important it’s being looked at.”
IRELAND (Women’s Six Nations v Scotland, Meadowbank, tomorrow): S. J. Belton (UL Bohemians); N. Milne (Worcester), S. Fleming capt (Cooke) , P. Kelly (UL Bohemians), L. Cantwell (UL Bohemians); J. O’Sullivan (Nottingham), L. Beamish (UL Bohemians); M. Dolo (Old Belvedere), J. Lonergan (Shannon), E. Coen (Highfield); R. Foley (Shannon), A. M. McAllister (Shannon); R. Boyd (Cooke), F. Steed (Shannon), J. Neville (Shannon).
Replacements: G. McAllister (Cooke), F. Coughlan (UL Bohemians), J. Leacy (Blackrock), R. Reid (Cooke), L. Coulter (Cooke), A. Greensmith (Shannon), N. Ni Chadhain (Galwegians).
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