Summary
IT WON'T come as much comfort to Andy Robinson if England lose today but, possibly for the first time in history, there are more similarities than there are differences between this afternoon's two teams. If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery then Bernard Laporte is heaping it on England with a shovel, copying "Les Rosbifs" in an effort to emulate Clive Woodward's World Cup success.
Defence coach Dave Ellis is just one example of the new Anglo- influence on French rugby that was for so long an island to itself. Thomas Castaignede introduced Saracens kicking coach Mark Mapletoft to Laporte and the one-time England fly-half was interviewed for a job in the French camp last week. Three of this afternoon's squad earn their corn in the Guinness Premiership: Castaignede, Olivier Magne and Raphael Ibanez.See the full content of this document
Extract
French More English Than Many Are Comfortable With
It would have been four had Sale hooker Sebastian Bruno not been injured and it could have been five had his team mate Sebastien Chabal not been out of favour and banned anyway; his...
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