Fairy-tale ending to French team’s N.Z. tour

Press, 17 July 1979, Page 36

Fairy-tale ending to French team’s N.Z. tour

PA Auckland The 1979 French rugby team's tour of New Zealand will be remembered mainly for its fairy-tale ending.

While the history-making, 24-19, win over the All Blacks in the second test should not be diminished in any way, the French side] will also be remembered for the joy it gave to rugby followers off the field. The Eden Park victory proved that this French side, at present going through a rebuilding period, will be a force to be reckoned with in the forthcoming Five Nations series. The obvious backline talent was not displayed in full until the last match, when it blossomed to the detriment of the All Blacks. The manner in which this match was played represented a synthesis of the! basic philosophical ap-; proaches of the coach, Mr! “Toto” Desclaux, and then captain, Jean-Pierre Rives. | It was a compromise p which the affable pair will I, want to continue in theirji rugby association. I M. Desclaux is committed j to achieving domination in t the forwards while his cap- ; tain is a well-known advo-| = cate of “the-back-to-the-Gal-if lic-flair” 15-man game. The two contributed much ] to the squaring of the two- 1 match series. t Rives rendered an out- i standing on-field contribu-|r tion and Mr Desclaux de-; vised tactics capable of gain-h ing ball from set play|p through his forwards. While there was a lack of D discipline in the Tricolours' t two provincial losses to ( Waikato and Southland, this ( situation never arose off the J field. ( The reason for this was i the guiding hand of a firm i but fair team manager, Mr . Yves Noe. I The Toulouse industrial- 1 ist’s attitude in good times \ or bad never altered and he maintained a positive, help-i < ful attitude throughout. The manner in which he I handled the Francis Haget'i

incident after the Waikato (match verified this. ! The occasion became the . springboard for an all-out I campaign on his part advocating clean tactics among his players. He -spoke openly with the touring press on the event and lectured his players long and hard on the need to play clean rugby. A witty speech-maker, Mr Noe proved popular among liaison officers throughout the country for his willingness to fit in with local arrangements. France finished the tour with 11 high-ranking test players. The full-back, Jean-Michel Aguirre, the wings, Jean-Luc Averous and Frederic Costes, the centres Didier Codornious and Patrick Mesny, the flyhalf, Alain Caussade, the half-back, Jerome Gallion, the loose-for-wards, Rives and Jean-Luc Joinel, the prop, Robert Paparemborde, and the hooker. Philippe Dintrans, were all success stories. The premature departure of the Lourdes lock, JeanFrancois Marchal, with a broken bone in the hand after the Wellington match,

cre-yed problems the tour se. • ors were never really able to rectify. Test places among the tight forwards became more a case of selection by a.ailability rather than selection on merit.

Nevertheless the locks, Francis Haget and Alain Maleig, the utility forward, Patrick Salas, and the prop, Daniel Dubroca, did all that was required of them and more to bring about the Eden Park test victory.

The flyhalf, Guy Laporte, the halfback, Yves Lafarge, the loose forward, Christian Beguerie, the prop, Guy Calomine, and the hooker, Jean-Francois Perche, while not finishing the tour in the No. 1 team, nevertheless made significant contributions.

The centre, Laurent Pardo, who was a surprise replacement when the veteran RoItnd Bertranne withdrew from the team, never really lived up to his reputation. The full-back, Serge Blanco, and the wing, Michel Duffranc, were two other players who did not have the most successful of tours. At all times the side endeavoured to play an entertaining brand of rugby but the lack of ball from the pack on occasions upset this tactic.

This was a happy team which belatedly showed the New Zealand public in no uncertain fashion it could play rugby of a high standard.