WXV 1 : le Canada compte trois fois plus d’Olympiennes dans ses rangs que la France

Fit compared to the teams they are playing. Physical fitness has a huge impact on your ability to focus and make the right decisions a.k.a. composure.

I think they are losing at all three of those things you listed in the last quarter, which is why they are giving away so many penalties, getting players sent off, and spending the last 20 minutes of every game under huge pressure, mostly defending getting even more fatigued.

Botching basic passes and dropping the ball cold is not something the best players in the world do when they are fresh, they are mistakes that happen when players are fatigued.

It's not surprising when you look at the build up most of the players had - they are not coming into this international window match fit. Ardie was in Japan which is much less intense, and had a relatively long lay off before the ABs season started, ditto Beauden Barrett and Cane, although Cane was also injured for a huge part of the JL1 season. Scott Barrett, Will Jordan, and Blackadder played about 10 SR games between them. Add to that Razor leaving guys on for 70 mins plus or even the whole game who would normally come off after 50 - 60 mins and you have a recipe for disaster which is playing out every week.

Watch the body language of the players as the final quarter plays out, they are absolutely out on their feet, hands on hips, bent over trying to catch their breath. Slow to get into position, slow to move around the park.

Ratima showed you just need a bit of intent and to take them low (he can bench 180 though to be fair) and those wingers go down.

I said it more for a dig at Rieko than anything.

They are doing some things very well that previous ABs teams have not been able to, but failing in other areas.

It has been very frustrating that teams like Italy and Argentina that have had a change of coaching staff in 2024 have immediately built on previous success and improved this year, whereas we have to accept for some reason with the ABs that a change of coach means that learning these "new systems" means the team has to become terrible for a period of time. Not that they would stagnate, but that they will get obviously worse, and actually play very poorly. It makes me think they are complicating things.

Also this team is not fit, which is why they can't close out a game.

The sooner people like you accept NZ is a multicultural society, the sooner this incredibly inaccurate myth can go away.

The change I would make is with so much versatility in the backline I don't think the ABs need to carry 3 backs on the bench.

I don't many of your backline would play two world cups though. Roigard and Ratima are the ones who would likely still be selectable by 2031 - you see very few outside backs, particularly from NZ, playing into their 30s.

Razor wants mounga, his quarterback…plain and simple.

“Factually accurate”, you’re a troll.

I would still expect Ireland to win v Argentina, but with them playing NZ the week before and I imagine Argentina targeting that game, its more 60-40 than 80-20. Should be a great match.

When a team wins the last 7 editions of a comp it's not trolling to suggest it's a farmers league. It's a factually accurate description.

Their school boys certainly tear it up. In school boys leagues. The next step in the pathway is U20s. They're tearing nothing up there at the moment.

Argentina beat a French b team - an impressive feat given France's depth, but given how handily Ireland beat the French first team this year its not a result that will worry Farrell particularly. The wins against New Zealand and South Africa are more substantial achievements, but both were very close games against weaker opposition than Ireland.