All Blacks v France II
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Why drop Barrett? Thought he went pretty bloody well - DMac on the other hand was rocks and diamonds.
Iād stick with the same team barring injuries (Lomax for Newell & Clarke for Reece). Proctor was poor, but one game is not a big enough sample size.
@frugby said in All Blacks v France 2:
Why drop Barrett? Thought he went pretty bloody well - DMac on the other hand was rocks and diamonds.
Iād stick with the same team barring injuries (Lomax for Newell & Clarke for Reece). Proctor was poor, but one game is not a big enough sample size.
He did go well, and yes, I agree, those are the only changes I'd make too.
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Barrettās passing in particular was really good. Am sure Will Jordan wants him to stay at 10.
Speaking of that jammy bastard, he must be getting high up on the try count now
@Kirwan said in All Blacks v France 2:
Barrettās passing in particular was really good. Am sure Will Jordan wants him to stay at 10.
Speaking of that jammy bastard, he must be getting high up on the try count now
His strike rate per test is nothing short of ridiculous and his class and calmness under pressure is extraordinary
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Why drop Barrett? Thought he went pretty bloody well - DMac on the other hand was rocks and diamonds.
Iād stick with the same team barring injuries (Lomax for Newell & Clarke for Reece). Proctor was poor, but one game is not a big enough sample size.
@frugby said in All Blacks v France 2:
Why drop Barrett? Thought he went pretty bloody well - DMac on the other hand was rocks and diamonds.
Iād stick with the same team barring injuries (Lomax for Newell & Clarke for Reece). Proctor was poor, but one game is not a big enough sample size.
I'd like Beauden to draw tacklers more
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This will be a much different game compared to yesterday
Swirling mid winter Cake Tin as opposed to under the roof
French ref as opposed to Nick Berry
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks v France 2:
French ref as opposed to Nick Berry
Christophe Ridley is English despite the name. This will be his biggest test to date. He will also be younger than some of the players.
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This will be a much different game compared to yesterday
Swirling mid winter Cake Tin as opposed to under the roof
French ref as opposed to Nick Berry
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@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Bones said in All Blacks v France 2:
That does raise one point - you'd like to think Williams and Lomax would have made a heck of a difference today.
Would they have?
I don't the forwards had any issues to be honest. It's not like Williams and Lomax are considerably better scrum agers than the players who started either.
They carry the ball more than EDG and Newell
Definitely - I'm not suggesting they're not better players. I just don't think they would've made that much of difference in that game. The All Blacks issues weren't that their forwards weren't carrying effectively enough.
With a better kicking/high ball game, a tiny bit more accuracy at crucial moments or smarter defence, and NZ would've won at a canter (easier said than done, or course, but I don't think better carrying from the starting props would've fixed any of those issues).
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks v France 2:
I'm not suggesting they're not better players. I just don't think they would've made that much of difference in that game
That much of a difference would have been quite the difference indeed. If you're getting a lot more from your props around the field, don't you think that then slides onto what you're getting from your other players?
Even if you just consider their personal contributions, those extra metres you get from Williams in close or that extra dominant hit/turnover you get from Lomax could turn a tight 4 point win into a comfortable 11 point win (and it's highly likely France wouldn't have finished with as much vigour if they were already out of the game).
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@booboo said in All Blacks v France 2:
@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks v France 2:
French ref
Huh?
French first name. Christophe. Close enough....
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Scooter reportedly in doubt with an Achilles issue. Vaai might go back to lock, making room for another loosie
@canefan said in All Blacks v France 2:
Scooter reportedly in doubt with an Achilles issue. Vaai might go back to lock, making room for another loosie
World-class lock moves back to lock due to injury to captain?
Un embarrasement de riches
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks v France 2:
I'm not suggesting they're not better players. I just don't think they would've made that much of difference in that game
That much of a difference would have been quite the difference indeed. If you're getting a lot more from your props around the field, don't you think that then slides onto what you're getting from your other players?
Even if you just consider their personal contributions, those extra metres you get from Williams in close or that extra dominant hit/turnover you get from Lomax could turn a tight 4 point win into a comfortable 11 point win (and it's highly likely France wouldn't have finished with as much vigour if they were already out of the game).
@Bones said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks v France 2:
I'm not suggesting they're not better players. I just don't think they would've made that much of difference in that game
That much of a difference would have been quite the difference indeed. If you're getting a lot more from your props around the field, don't you think that then slides onto what you're getting from your other players?
Even if you just consider their personal contributions, those extra metres you get from Williams in close or that extra dominant hit/turnover you get from Lomax could turn a tight 4 point win into a comfortable 11 point win (and it's highly likely France wouldn't have finished with as much vigour if they were already out of the game).
Would people have felt massively differently about an 11-point win rather than a 4-point win? I feel like exactly the same comments would be made.
But getting into semantics here - obviously semantics have absolutely no place on the Fern.
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I felt the props did ok but I did feel that Williams would have more impact around the field, at times EdG looked to me like he was willing himself to get up to speed between rucks.
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@Bones said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks v France 2:
I'm not suggesting they're not better players. I just don't think they would've made that much of difference in that game
That much of a difference would have been quite the difference indeed. If you're getting a lot more from your props around the field, don't you think that then slides onto what you're getting from your other players?
Even if you just consider their personal contributions, those extra metres you get from Williams in close or that extra dominant hit/turnover you get from Lomax could turn a tight 4 point win into a comfortable 11 point win (and it's highly likely France wouldn't have finished with as much vigour if they were already out of the game).
Would people have felt massively differently about an 11-point win rather than a 4-point win? I feel like exactly the same comments would be made.
But getting into semantics here - obviously semantics have absolutely no place on the Fern.
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks v France 2:
Would people have felt massively differently about an 11-point win rather than a 4-point win
I can't speak for people, but I struggle to see how an 11 point win against a wilting side wouldn't be much better than a 4 point win against a team threatening to take the win themselves. Especially in the first test. So yeah, I would've felt much different, especially seeing a better functioning ABs.
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After the French moral victory in Dunedin, I can't see them making many changes. Rinse and repeat from them and they'll hope they get more out of a Northern Hemisphere ref, especially one with a French first name and who was born in Paris.
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks v France 2:
Would people have felt massively differently about an 11-point win rather than a 4-point win
I can't speak for people, but I struggle to see how an 11 point win against a wilting side wouldn't be much better than a 4 point win against a team threatening to take the win themselves. Especially in the first test. So yeah, I would've felt much different, especially seeing a better functioning ABs.
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@Bones there was a genuine chance we could have lost that. If so I'd be feeling as sick as a dog right now. I take the win and move on.
@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks v France 2:
@Bones there was a genuine chance we could have lost that. If so I'd be feeling as sick as a dog right now. I take the win and move on.
Right? So wouldn't you have felt remarkably better about it being out of reach in the dying minutes? Something like Savea having to do less carries and therefore having more in the tank for a big defensive play. That's the margin.
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I'm not disagreeing with you. Thank goodness we won. We were a dropped pass away from losing
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I'm not disagreeing with you. Thank goodness we won. We were a dropped pass away from losing
@BerniesCorner said in All Blacks v France 2:
I'm not disagreeing with you. Thank goodness we won. We were a dropped pass away from losing
Lomax prolly woulda dropped it.
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I'm not disagreeing with you. Thank goodness we won. We were a dropped pass away from losing
@BerniesCorner did you think our defence was that bad? A dropped ball and we'd lose?
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More from Chat GTP on the man who will have le sifflet during Saturday's test.
Hereās a detailed look at ChristopheāÆRidley, a rising star in rugby officiating:
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ļø Background & Education
ā¢ Born: 16 AprilāÆ1993 in Paris, France, but is an English-qualified rugby referee ļæ¼.
ā¢ Education: Studied Sports Coaching at the University of Gloucestershire (from 2013), benefiting from a unique officiating scholarship run by ex-World Cup ref Chris White ļæ¼. He now tutors on the programme and serves as a āreferee in residenceā for the RFUāUniversity Officiating Hub ļæ¼.āø»
Refereeing Career
ā¢ 2016: Turned professional arena referee, debuting in Championship and quickly moving into Premiership Rugby ļæ¼.
ā¢ Premier Competitions: Regularly oversees Premiership Rugby, European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, and United Rugby Championship (since 2021ā22) ļæ¼.
ā¢ International Stage:
ā¢ Debut as lead referee in Six Nations in 2024, officiating France v Italy ļæ¼.
ā¢ Assistant Referee at the 2023 Rugby World Cup ļæ¼.āø»
Key Milestones
ā¢ Premiership Final 2024: Assigned as the main referee for the Northampton Saints vs Bath game at Twickenhamāa prestigious first for a post-Wayne Barnes official ļæ¼. His semi-final showing earned him broad praise:
āBeen the best ref in the league this season imoā¦ā ļæ¼
āTo be fair Ridley has been better and not many referees get domestic and European finals in the same year.ā ļæ¼
ā¢ European Champions Cup 2023: One of the Assistant Referees in the final ().āø»
ļø Personality & Style
ā¢ Mentored by Wayne Barnes and influenced by Luke Pearce for his calm, flowing style ļæ¼.
ā¢ Performance-driven: Adopts a rigorous review routineāwaking early post-match for analysisāwith a pursuit of perfection, supported by his partner Katie Nelson ļæ¼.
ā¢ Mindset: Describes āquiet arroganceā and a constant quest for growth, regularly consulting experts across fields ļæ¼.
ā¢ Life off-field: Balances intense on-field demands with renovation projects, gym workouts, and time with his dogs and partner ļæ¼.āø»
Community Engagement
ā¢ Hosts local events like quiz & curry nights to share insights and support veteran programmes ļæ¼.
ā¢ Actively involved in mentoring upcoming referees through his role with the University and RFU Officiating Hub ļæ¼.āø»
SummaryChristopheāÆRidley is one of Englandās most promising rugby referees: a former Leicester Tigers academy player turned professional official, with a strong academic foundation and a distinguished track record across domestic and international competitions. Known for his composed, performance-driven approach.
