i saw the irish welsh game, pretty much as expected, welsh locks depleted. scotland england also as expected – it was a v good win v ABs but i fancy the boks to beat allcomers this year if meyer is not too backward, bloubul biased, that is.

we’d crack them a good one with deon fourie backup to bismark, elstadt as the no4, etsebeth at 5, kolisi and brussow in the loosie mix, de jong starting with frans steyn and serfontein on the bench along with rhule.

Makes sense – who captains the side while Richie takes long, well-earned rest?
(NZ rugby system way more evolved than SA – in NZ national team comes first, in SA they all bicket among themselves for their turf and national team comes second – just dreadful).

Very interesting comment from your side – who would you make our loose trio out of: Juan, Schalk, Alberts, Francois Louw and Vermulean (bearing in mind that Juan first played, in NZ as well, a blinding No. 8)? (Schalk good at 8 also – the dream team was him, Richie and Jerry Collins for BaaBaas at Twickenham).

Yip on their day they have plenty of what you have just mentioned but I’ll take the total demolition of the Frogs in Lyon 06′ or the Lions in Wellington 05′ total rugby but we both knew what I’d say that lol, good to see your old mate Juan Smith back they always talk about Botha being the enforcer but trust me this was the guy that worried the AB’s and their supporters the most.

Oh absolutely true – as close as you can come to ‘perfect rugby’ – no argument there mate, you’re on solid ground. But you know it’s always going to be good – but … I still say, and we’ll have to agree to disagree here, the French ON THEIR DAY play the most attractive rugby; the passion, flair and innovation are a joy to behold – the best to watch; and I say that as a HARDCORE, HARDCORE Bok fan.

As you know Fitzy got taught a good lesson very early on by the Froggies at home so that’s where that respect comes from, as for knowing what you are always going to get from the boys in black, boy we score the most beautiful tries from all over the park and plenty of them. The demolition of France in Lyon in 06′ was rugby no other nation could reproduce.

I’d say one game in 10 is superb – five are variably ‘good enough’ – 3 are ‘bad wins’ – one is diabolical. I find very interesting. And then – every now they produce something quite out of this world which people talk about for years.
NZ are the Kings of Consistency and play the best technical rugby – but, from the moment the Haka starts, you always know what you’re going to get – academically they are less interesting than the French and I respect Sean, and Ari and Grant for their respect of them.

Great analogy – “consistency of a bipolar schizophrenic” says it all – although French rugby is indeed enigmatic it’s not a hard concept to grasp – but so many on these people writing on this blog still adhere to the notion that there is such a thing as French form – when Sean Fitzpatrick and the higher levels of NZ and English rugby intelligentsia get it completely – “it all depends which French team turns up” – in a mid-90′s tour of SA les Bleurs lost FIVE provincial matches, including a 50-pointer defeat to Northerns – but went back home having won the series. Fitzpatrick gives tnem huge respect and the phrase they use is “when they come to play watch out”. From genius to diabolical – who knows what’s coming next?

Next week Im going for France to beat Wales in Paris, Scotland to beat Italy in Edinburgh and Ireland to beat England in Dublin.