Terrace Talk: Man United - Ole is clearly the luckiest of generals, as Napoleon might’ve noted

I am writing this in southwestern rural France, an hour before the start of ‘Le Crunch’, as the French call their annual rugby highlight against the elderberry-smelling English hamsters.

This is the very proud patriotic heartland of working class French rugby and warriorship, once conquered by Richard the Lionheart but later won back at the Battle of Castillon. Yet no one here gives the Frogs a chance. By the time you read this, you’ll know if their defeatism was warranted. (For the record: I support France at both rugby and football, so I’ll be as gutted as you Irish readers should les rosbifs have won). There’s one other thing they are near-certain of around here; that in the other Anglo-French Crunch of the week, Manchester United are going to rip Paris a new St Germain.