Schizophrenic French a dangerous foe

THE bigger the game, the smaller the margins and the fewer the chances: never was that more obvious that in Saturday’s Wales-France semi-final.

Wales were the form team left in the competition, able to play the complete game due to a combination of talent and good coaching strategies.

On the other hand, France had made it through to the final four without ever working as an attacking force and in the weekend’s semi-final showdown adopted the cup rugby formula of playing not to lose. The result was less than pretty rugby and as a spectacle it lacked entertainment value for any neutrals watching, but from a French point of view it was highly effective.