WATCH OUT FOR FRENCH DIRTY TRICKS
Their captain Pape is a schoolyard bully, warns England legend Shaw
ENGLAND have been warned to brace themselves for a fiery encounter with a France side who will follow the example of their ‘dirty’ captain by trying to bully the visitors into submission.
Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations encounter in Paris is shaping up to be a war of attrition and the hosts are in wounded-beasts mode on the back of a dismal 2013.
Philippe Saint-Andre’s team are gearing up to launch a brutal onslaught through their imposing pack, in order to turn ‘Le Crunch’ into an arm wrestle for supremacy.
And England legend Simon Shaw has fired the opening salvo in the pre-match war of words by calling France captain Pascal Pape a ‘bit
Confront them and get under their skin
of a schoolyard bully’ who throws in the ‘odd cheap shot’.
England are primed for the physical pounding they are likely to endure in the quest to emulate their victory at the Stade de France two years ago.
They have been alerted to the prospect of their rivals using fair means and foul to intimidate their cross-Channel enemies.
These are fairly desperate times for the France team and the concern is they may resort to desperate measures.
Stuart Lancaster’s men should beware of trouble ahead, according to former England lock Shaw, who spent two seasons at Toulon before retiring last summer just before his 40th birthday.
His time in the Top 14 league has provided first-hand knowledge of Saint-Andre’s leading players and their ways — which he describes as dubious in some cases. Pape will lead France in the absence of the injured Thierry Dusautoir. Asked about the Stade Francais second row, Shaw said: ‘He’s quite a large chap and a very physical player.
‘He likes to put it about a bit and throw in the odd cheap shot. He’s a bit of a schoolyard bully, which is how the French pack like to operate.
‘ They try to intimidate the opposition and impose themselves physically. If the opposition back down, they soon get on top.
‘If you stand up to them and really challenge their authority, you can get under their skin and they start doubting themselves.
‘Pape is very much a symbol of that, in that team. For Bakkies Botha (renowned ex-South Africa enforcer) to say Pape is a dirty player tells you all you need to know! Whenever we played against Stade Francais in the last couple of seasons, Bakkies would say, “He is such a dirty guy”.’
England’s forwards will be aware that there is a storm coming their way, but Chris Robshaw and Co have displayed an increasing ability to stand toe to toe with the world’s leading packs.
On the whole, the challenges they have faced have been founded on legitimate physicality, but Shaw is convinced they will be confronted by foul play in Paris.
While the game is far more sanitised — far less violent — than it used to be, especially in this particular grudge match, Robshaw said: ‘It’s almost impossible to get away with anything these days, but that’s not to say there won’t be things going on in this game.
‘I don’t think they have come up with enough camera angles yet to zoom in between your legs and see someone grabbing hold of your nuts! I’m not suggesting for one minute that’s what France will be doing, but I have experienced it in the th p past. st F France c will ill t try t to i intimiti i date England from the start.
‘I don’t think they will try to match England for workrate around the park or getting round the corner. They will try to get a strangehold on England and aim to squeeze them, rather than running them around too much.
‘ France will use their weight advantage and try to use the scrum to really grind England down.’
Louis Picamoles will be expected to lead the cavalry charge towards England’s line.
The giant Toulouse No 8 will be seen by Saint-Andre as one of the men who can break Les Rosbifs’ defensive resistance through the sheer force of his ball-carrying.
He was a prominent figure when his club crushed Saracens earlier this month and now his country needs a similar command performance. Shaw is well aware of what Picamoles is capable of but believes England can nullify him if they stop him working up a head of steam.
‘For a very tall man, he seems to have a very low centre of gravity,’ said Shaw. ‘He is incredibly strong in the quad-hip area, which allows him hi to t p power through th gh a lot lt of f tackles.
‘If he has a trundle or two early in the game then he is going to be unstoppable, because it lifts his confidence.
‘But I’ve seen him have some bloody miserable games where people have attacked him, put him on the ground early and he loses a bit of interest.
‘He has a lot more good games than he has poor games, but he is someone England can exploit if they manage to get into him early. If he is put under pressure, he can disappear from games.’
Shaw senses the elements will be a key factor and, at odds with stereotypes, he thinks England will want it to stay dry.
He added: ‘The French pack will be happier to play a slower-paced game, but England’s forwards have the edge in terms of mobility and work-rate. So if it’s a dry day, they can stick with the French in the scrum and run them around the field. I think they’ll come out on top.’