Werner Kok returns to face former team as Ulster welcome back Ireland star

I’m sorry, my bad, it doesn’t sound right when read under this angle

This part of my post you are refering to was certainly poorly worded as I wasn’t weighting an AB test playing in France (or not) vs the huge audience and media attention it gets all the time, or not, if not played.

By “not a big deal”, I mostly meant financially for FFR as, contrary to many other Rugby Unions (most as broke as FFR) who are still making nearly all their money with such big events tickets sale, FFR is not. Using the Stade de France* even when it was sold out or near full capacity (something garanteed for an AB game) was only for the operator to turn on profits. Hence they would survive an AB boycott because not as much was at stake compared to other Unions who are still desperately chasing the biggest crowds as possible in order to survive.

Also, I don’t think that the NZRU could push other Unions to boycott France over sending a development team on summer tours, like say when South Africa was boycotted over apartheid. So, the FFR would also survive that (with less audience but less drama).

Because WR can’t help without juridiction on team selection, France is simply fulfilling their engagement by sending whatever team they want. By the way, that’s why WR is trying to sell a “Nation League?” instead of tours, in order to up what’s at stakes but it probably won’t change anything for the French selection in July.

(*) conditions were reviewed and improved, as FFR was going to reconsider playing in the Stade de France at all.

you would expect the first game since Bok world champs knocked the French boys out at the WC surely would be more than that? that’s how I would market it anyhow !! Revenge game ! And that will be a major rugby event even tho u don’t think so

When you are overstretched and can’t do everything with the means at your disposal, the best way is to rank those tasks and assign your best forces following priorities:

- WC knock out game

- 6 Nations Chelem or decider game

- WC pool game

- (…)

- November International

- July International

Looks like what Galthié is doing is also matching priorities for the French public manipulated by the media coverage.

But the domestic record audience was for a WC knock out game which wasn’t vs. RSA in 2023. Why would an old game vs England score above 20 million and a pool game vs New Zealand with low drama would nearly score as much as this knock out quarter final.

I don’t know but maybe it’s because England are the French arch-enemies, ABs’ are the most renowned team and RSA is simply not there yet. We’ll see and I certainly can be wrong in my pronostic and 15 million will turn up for this game.

So quite a few issues

Facts matter

Imagine having a no consequence tour against NZ, to get some practice, against a full strength NZ team. It’s amazing he’s getting away with it.

😇

He talks like an Englishman with a sneer in the background, but in that convo he was all about how Ireland were going to smash England and revelling in the prospect!

Then more recently he’s into trashing Leinster and the IRFU whenever he can… Go figure.

But still, even with travel, we’re talking about 13 games in 5 months, meaning 2,6/month, with bigger breaks in between.

If you’re fearing the ABs are too tired in November and the end of their Autumn tour is exhausting, then it’s exactly where most of the French players are when asked to go on tour.

So it’s not the SH always putting at disposal their best players for Autumn tours, it’s the calendar allowing them to do so.

Reverse the tour and have the NH tour in the SH during the Autumn tests! You’ll see the availability question will be solved.

The NH teams will be rusty for their first games of the season, but it’s the same for SH teams in the current tests, isn’t it?

The year after, have development teams from the SH come to the NH for the Summer Tour. That way everyone builds depth and there’s no disrespect.

And just alternate.