Why caveman’s the king of cool

YOU were forewarned by Bernard Laporte himself. Last week, quizzed on his selection of Sebastian Chabal at lock, the French coach simply said Chabal could offer his team certain things that Jerome Thion and Fabien Pelous couldn’t. Certainly neither Thion nor Pelous could have scored Chabal’s rampaging second try last Sunday night against Namibia, but then there’s hardly a second-row in the world who could.

When Chabal was substituted shortly afterwards, one reverent French sportswriter said the deafening ovation in Toulouse was reminiscent of those heard for Zinedine Zidane at his peak. That’s one of the more restrained examples of the Chabalmania that’s gripped France since the start of the World Cup.

However he waves a finger on objection: “I am a rugby player and I want people to speak about the team and our performances. That is what is important.