Le Crunch Classic - RWC 1991 Quarter-final France v England

Sit back, relax and relive the classic Rugby World Cup 1991 Quarter-final between France and England 🙌

[@SkysTooHigh]

This is a little before my time (I was 9 when the game was played) but fascinating how the game has changed.... no kicking tees, no water being brought on, Heslop knocked out and plays on -only a mild ticking off for the puncher. Place kick restarts, no backs over about 75kg, front rows routinely standing up and throwing haymakers, lineouts a total lottery, up&unders abound, liberal use of the ‘silver slipper’ and scrums last 15 seconds instead of 3 minutes. Thanks for posting!

[@drewgarvie08091976]

Brilliant comment, you've basically saved me writing out my views as everything you said apart from ur age (I was 14) I agree with...Which Frenchman parked Heslop? Just gets up and carries on lol. I'm glad the IRB didn't carry on with the design of the refs shirt, that's absolute ugly 😳😢

[@tomdavies6368]

Most backs were well over 75Kg!

[@Jordskotts]

Same here! I was 8 at the time. Some of this stuff is brutal. Especially the Heslop thing!

[@naas699]

& lots of old school rucking if you were dumb enough to lay on the wrong site in a ruck

[@johncourtneidge]

Yes, Heslop's injury was not the collision, but the punch.

[@robicenco1]

I watched this in Toulouse, I was on a two-week French exchange with a rather well-off family and they were disappointed with the loss but congratulated me (I was only 11!). I remember TF1 finished its broadcast about ten seconds after the final whistle, didn't fancy post-match analysis for some reason. :-)

[@paulmorson2268]

What an era, what a game!! The whole French pack looked just what they were - horrible, horrible men (on the pitch anyway)! Massive respect to both teams who played the game at, for me, it’s golden age 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@ldfreitas9437]

Seeing these old games makes me want old laws to come back into play.

[@DerbyKong]

Dankeschön!

[@benjaminsoria8990]

Thanks for this!

[@vinylrulesok8470]

Interesting to see how the scrums just engaged and got on with it. No referee asking them to pause, engage, set or whatever. The game seemed a lot less stop start than it is today

[@nathanwilliams2152]

Serge Blanco - one of the few athletes who could smoke 40-a day and play elite sport :) This game is is approaching the '74 Lions match at Port Elizabeth as a physical war. Wonderful to see it again - I was goggle-eyed as a 7 year old when it was on the TV!

[@aramanon]

~Jeremy Guscott~ You can keep your Manu Tuilangi's, that's how its done.

[@ThePereubu1710]

it's easy to forget how good Guscott was in his prime.

[@darthmong7196]

Curious to see how he'd fare now. I think he'd be a great foil to Manu.

[@KernowekTim]

For me, 'Would the All Blacks of the Boks choose Guscott or Manu?'....

[@cybertrophic]

Manu, when fit, has been truly world class. A centre pairing of Guscott and Manu would be something to behold.

[@johncourtneidge]

@@cybertrophic yes!

[@lightofdespair1848]

We need more golden matches

[@olliewills1227]

very interesting to watch. i’ve never seen anything other than modern rugby and the way the game used to be is fascinating

[@rh5466]

It was better back then than it is now.

[@ezrolly898]

@@rh5466 why say you?

[@rh5466]

@@ezrolly898 Today there's too many games. Back in the old days they were very rare. Every match was an event; a spectacle. It was very remarkable if someone got even 50 caps. Also, today they wear shoulder pads; back then they wore nothing, just a shirt. Today all the players are massive, they spend all their time in the gym and the top skill is bulk, power and speed. Back then it was about ability to play rugby. Also, there was almost twice as many scrums back then, which I love because it's a fascinating contest -- a game within a game. And back then there was no substitutions. You had to get your selections right. Every player mattered for 80 minutes. It was a war of attrition. Today games are much more structured, and that doesn't mean much more entertaining. There's also the reality that the games today are dominated by corporations, which I think is awful. It would be inconceivable to see AIG printed on an All Black shirt when Buck Shelford played, or to put corporate logos on the playing surface itself. Everything about the old-school rugby was better. Even the characters were better. And I like how they just played for the love of the game; not to be paid. All that changed after the 1995 RWC. And it's no coincidence that the 1995 RWC was the best of them. There was just something about the spirit of old rugby that today's rugby doesn't have. There was magic and mystery to it. "The All Blacks are coming? Wow!". Not any more. There's no mystery to these teams. They're all well-known; over-exposed. And all the teams today are the same and play the same. Once upon a time, France used to actually play a little differently than, say, Australia. Not any more. There's no uniqueness in style and tactics and approach. It's become homogenized. Scientized. The human dimension is gone. The British Lions used to go on tour for almost a whole year. Imagine that? Not today. Today it's all business.

[@Trevessa24]

That is a fine piece of writing. Thank you. Not a word out of place. The Mystery !! Spot on. I loved the mystery of French rugby. I thirsted to see it on tv and to read the odd bit in a rugby magazine. Anyway I was too busy playing my heart out for my team mates, for a slap on the back from them. Perhaps a handshake from my captain when I scored a match winning try... If I was lucky !!!

[@martinodoni8943]

@@rh5466 - I'm not sure about that, as professionalism has allowed Union players to improve their physical strength and skills. But I would say that there were some rule changes that happened over the next couple of years that damaged the product. The big change that I think was a mistake was alterations to the breakdown law. The rule prior to 1992 was that whichever pack was the last one going forward at a ruck or maul that stalls should receive the put-in at the scrum. After 1992, they changed it so that, if the ball is killed in a ruck, the team that took it into the breakdown retains it, and if it is killed in a maul, the team that took it into the breakdown CONCEDES it. This change was genuinely meant as a way of encouraging more running play by speeding up the recycle after a maul, because the team that started the maul will be in a hurry to get the ball to ground so they have more chance of retaining possession. But the rulemakers missed the reason why the maul is so valuable to setting up attacking play - BECAUSE IT DRAWS IN FORWARDS away from the backfield, as when their pack is being pushed backwards, they have to add their weight to it to stop the retreat. This creates space for runners. With mauls now briefer and less dominant, a lot of forwards are now free to stay away from the breakdown, and fill in gaps between the backs. It means the ball gets recycled more quickly, but there's less actual room for the ball-carrier to run into.

[@colharris5283]

Shows how much the game has improved. Fitness, skill, referees and laws have all evolved hugely.

[@darthmong7196]

'Improved' is a bit of a subjective call. 'Changed' certainly.

[@errcoche]

@@darthmong7196 Well I was younger so maybe it's nostalgia for my lost youth but I enjoyed it more back in the day.

[@ThePereubu1710]

I don't think it has "improved" that much as a game. I agree with all the things you mention, yes they are better now however law changes such as lifting in the lineout and scrum policies, replacements (in my opinion the worst modern change) and the sheer size of the players (he's very tall at 6'5" - really? Not any more...) have made certain aspects less compelling for me.

[@ThePereubu1710]

@@errcoche I still enjoy rugby union now but I do miss the mayhem and anarchy of the 80's-90's.

[@harrynewiss4630]

I'd rather watch the old stuff

[@theric66]

I remember watching the game in my Paris flat at the age of 25 , what a miserable Saturday.

[@stephenreeds3672]

You must have been even more miserable the following year.

[@victoir2112]

So much to love from this era, but also so much it's good we've left behind...... Professionalism has allowed players to be incredibly fitter, and so compressed the space so much. Tactical substitutions has allowed players to become bigger and bigger, as there's no need to last the anything like the full 80 minutes (eg South Africa's front row). Getting rid of them, surely, would help the quite correct worry we now have about the force of collisions, as players would have to bulk down to ensure they could last the full game.

[@robertroberts2666]

France's Eric Champ was a lone agitator for his side against an England team full of them and that made the difference!

[@Hollywoodin2001b]

Got a link for the Canada v New Zealand quarterfinal from that tournament?

[@tobyhallidie1498]

Mick 'The Munch' Skinner Wade Dooley Peter Winterbottom Mike Teague The Original Bad Boys here at their best.

[@robertroberts2666]

Er... one Gentleman Solicitor Brian Moore seems to have slipped your mind!

[@youkingkong1]

Iron Mike Teague, what a player

[@tonybussey8763]

Rob Andrew and the Underwoods

[@aaeeturner]

What about Pitbul

[@stephenreeds3672]

Plus Winterbottom, Leonard, Moore Probyn and Ackford. What a pack!

[@theextantsrilankan5443]

So much intensity and tension in the tunnel, don't see that nowadays

[@kingtubby999]

Mike Teague…legend

[@harrynewiss4630]

Wints, what a player

[@strakiutch2852]

D you have the same with french commentary ?

[@Ironsmiler]

Brian Moore states this was the most intense and brutal game he ever played in, and that "the air for full of a strange malevolence".

[@robertroberts2666]

I am a Taff but have to admit that if ever there was a team to ruffle a few French Cockerell feathers then this English team were just the ones to do so! Those thugs up front bullied us Welsh enough in those days! Ps No complaints, total respect!

[@davewolfy2906]

Count the Coppers! If you want tugs.......

[@davewolfy2906]

Thugs

[@robertroberts2666]

@@davewolfy2906 I have and also remember the game at the National Stadium a few years earlier when PC Dooley floored Phil 'Tulip' Davies a few minutes after kick off. Other coppers I remember in that game included Wales' Sutton, Collins and Bowen. Did PC Deano Richards also play in that battle?

[@davewolfy2906]

@@robertroberts2666 I do not remember it unfortunately, I came to rugby quite late.

[@phoenixfridge1495]

Blanco Almost soccer level of drama queen

[@JanSanono]

France vs New Zealand 1999 please

[@thomasgalletly1030]

@Peter Milnersame with me

[@pgdsfcv5552]

@Peter Milner 2007

[@pgdsfcv5552]

@Peter Milner 2011: 37-17, 8-7(final) 1987:29-9(final)

[@charlesbartlett4302]

M skinner you legend

[@DH-gg6jx]

Guscott was world class

[@johncourtneidge]

Wow! Well done England, well played France but the match was made by the excellence of the referee and his touch-line judges. They were the heros!

[@ldfreitas9437]

David Bishop did have a good game. He didn't play advantage well a year and a half sooner when Scotland hosted England in the 5 Nations of 1990.

[@aramanon]

Sella lamps Andrew in front of the ref- result is a scrum. And your playing for pride and 'fun'.

[@homeone4054]

I have to say, even as an England fan, I enjoyed that

[@tedtyrrell447]

Oh oh heyyyy

[@robertomolinaburgos6076]

Australia vs Francia 1987. Mejor partido de la historia de mundiales de rugby. Please.

[@stephenreeds3672]

Blanco... the Dan Biggar of the 90s

[@JorgeLuis-su1el]

Gotta kill the time accelerator to enjoy the game. The game has evolved for the best, it used to be a kick to the touch game

[@robertroberts2666]

Looking at the English bench, didn't Gary Rees and Martin Hodgkinson along with Scotland's Chris Gray play their club rugby with Nottingham?

[@paulgreen2456]

And Brian Moore originally.

[@sockington1]

never seen two teams so content on kicking possession away

[@tomdavies6368]

Then I suggest you watch the England v Scotland semi final from the same tournament!

[@tomhatton3303]

Great to watch this game again. You'd need Dooley and Teague to survive against this French team!

[@Jordskotts]

Joe Marler would have had a lot of fun, I suspect.

[@DersouOuzala72]

Aaaaaw... That famous "win ugly" strategy did work on that day.

[@Gabitony12]

1:26:34 there's a clear penalty advantage for France, then 1:26:48 the ref gives a scrum to France after the maul instead of going back to the penalty??? Rules were different back then or am I missing something?

[@Jordskotts]

France would have had about 5 players left on the pitch if this game was refereed now. England probably a couple lighter too. Fascinating to watch this in 2023.

[@xpat73]

If you watch the whole game, the French only started playing with urgency once they went 13-10 behind! Why didn't they do that earlier?

[@paulgreen2456]

Look out for Skinner' tackle on Champ - Epic!

[@xpat73]

on Cecillion

[@paulgreen2456]

@@xpat73 Your right!

[@chrishood57]

So different from these days. Scrums and line-outs a complete lottery. 4 point tries, penalties to touch is a line-out for the opposition. Punching seemingly just part of the game. Collapsing mauls, equals a scrum. Every phase is finished with a kick. Rare to see a running option. Happy days. But absolutely brutal match.

[@ldfreitas9437]

There were plenty of other games where the backs got to run in these times. I suggest watching Scotland v England 1980. There's also Northern Division beating New Zealand in late 1979. The Aussies certainly were running rampant in the 80s into the 90s with their backs. Go back even further and check out the Lions in NZ in 1971: Barry John, Mike Gibson, John Dawes, John Bevan, Dave Duckham, Gerald Davies, JPR Williams: that backline might have been the best ever assembled.

[@terrypayne8040]

adverts spoil it

[@alexrobinson2103]

So many kicks and scrums back there

[@ldfreitas9437]

Nothing wrong with that. Now you have countless phases that look like WW1 trench warfare.

[@stanmonzon5788]

I miss the days when the England team was like 1/4 coppers. It was somehow…better.

[@paulmorson2268]

Unfortunately, just like in their jobs, not able to lay a finger on anyone these days…

[@farexseijas3332]

Transmitan el de francia vs nueva Zelanda la fina. 🤩

[@aramanon]

We were over for a try at the start there and it was more important that Leonard made an attempt on Sella's ribs. Different times. Better times? And in the modern game you'd say Heslop deserved that punch off Champ (Blanco barely touched his coller) but back then I reckon he really thought he'd get there before the mark.

[@randyschwaggins]

With access to modern training methods and nutrition etc, most of the England XV could still compete today I think...except Jonathan Webb...who would literally be snapped in half...😂

[@naas699]

good to see France in their traditional strip, unlike the all blue or whatever they wear now

[@naas699]

old school rucking - didn't hurt no-one

[@annoyingbstard9407]

Reminds me how I used to despair at Rob Andrew kicking unnecessarily so often……..

[@kevinbaxter7390]

Omfg fierce Rucking

[@ldfreitas9437]

Today's forwards have no clue as to what it really means to ruck.

[@chickenzalfrezi]

I wish Eric Champ had an English grandparent. What a player.

[@criticalmass5873]

Hugh Jarce Peter Winterbottom too....

[@drewgarvie08091976]

Anyone know who the co- commentator is ? I'm sure he said about quieting the Dutch fans down...

[@simonjeffs75]

Ex England player steve smith

[@MrArkan6]

england was sixteen against 15 this day

[@stephenbrown4997]

wtf going on with all the ads it getting a joke you can not watch a rugby game in pease

[@KernowekTim]

A slim Blanco!

[@faustodipasquale5994]

Era un rugby molto diverso da quello attuale...!

[@13570neil]

Imagine Danny Grewcock or Julian White playing this game ? 😂

[@martinodoni8943]

Ooooooo, I watched this match live all those years ago, and while it was quite ugly, it was irresistible as I'd never witnessed such pure tension in a rugby match. So much ill-feeling between two old rivals, and the French players kept letting it get to them. Not that they didn't have reason to feel a bit hard-done-by; - Yes, Blanco got away with murder with that haymaker on Heslop and should have been sent off. Champ was also very lucky just to see out the first half. But Heslop is not as innocent as the commentary team make out. Yes, he was entitled to make a tackle during the mark, but if you look at the attempt, you see it was a shoulder-tackle without using the arms, which is illegal. (Indeed, Cecillon conceded a penalty just a few minutes later for a similar shoulder tackle on Teague - 14:07.) Having said that, it would still have been a penalty to England, as the punches thrown by Blanco and Champ were retaliation. The first England try... well, I'd probably let it stand nine times out of ten as it was clearly unintentional and England gained no advantage from it that they wouldn't have had anyway had the pass gone sideways, but look closely, and you realise that Guscott's pass to Underwood clearly went forward at least three yards. The second England try - I think Heslop again got away with one here, because he grabbed an opponent who didn't have the ball and threw him aside. You might argue that the French player was obstructing him, but I don't think he was. Either way, what Heslop did ain't legal.

[@rdgrdg1632]

Got many friends have you

[@julianbrinkmann6408]

Gracias por compartirlo pero no están los puntajes. Hay que verlo de corrido sin perderse un minuto e ir anotando.

[@kwanseokchae9089]

I don,t understand

[@chrisbaxter3597]

Ads took the mick - turned off

[@martincraig9613]

At 1.00 Closing the gap says the referee. There had been no gap all game!

[@chickenzalfrezi]

Martin Craig Fascinating?. Aka.... Better. More interesting. That’s why I have gone over to support rugby league...

[@callumsmaile8815]

Referees were much more animated back in the day, very exaggerated hand gestures 😂

[@user-sz2sq1cl2t]

面白い

[@marcwilding4804]

It’s at 58.54 Thank me later 😁

[@soorrrr]

*23 hours later*

[@DH-gg6jx]

old blanco wasn't keen on contact was he? hahaha

[@soddof7972]

He was pretty good at avoiding it though to be fair.

[@DH-gg6jx]

@@soddof7972 Correct, undoubtedly a fantastic player... one of the best ever. But every normal tackle seems to hurt him. Bit OTT maybe?

[@R.C19668]

I started to watch full matches around 1996 rugby world cup . First time I watch a full match from the amateur period. On my opinion , it was an open eyer to notice how boring and dull a world cup semifinal was in that period, in comparison with today Games . Very evident how low skilled most of players were, not visible game strategy , just a kicking and run game , the line outs were quite messy. It was quite funny to see mentioned the players day jobs.

[@shane-irish]

Classic lol

[@Thomasuki267]

8:25 Jason Leonard literally walks on Blanco as he rakes him out, even though Blanco was not really blocking the ball or ruck. Blanco shows the marks on his ribs, the commentator says "I don't think the England player is guilty of any unduly rough play". Then the arguably late tackle on Blanco leads to Heslop being, uh, blanced out for several minutes - if you slow it down, you see Blanco handbag him with his left hand, but then punch him with his right hand square on the jaw, and he crumbles. A magic sponge and a tug on the jersey and he's back in play. The referee is starting to get cross with all the violence, so he gives the captains a talking to. And the typically blindered English commentators prattle on about how it's all French indiscipline causing the conflict. "Blanco's lost his mind" - uh, no, he called a mark, Heslop hit him head first with a tackle - was it right at the whistle, or a shade after? He couldn't pull back even a little bit? I'm not defending the French retaliation, but back then the bias for England was palpable. The English had the most physical team in the world. The French backs were magical, and their forwards gave it out as they got it. Then kudos for the Aussies for putting a brilliant show of rugby on to win the cup. France 2023 - the reprise?

[@Chris-xv2gm]

Lots of cryimg in the French changing room.

[@bent5980]

a good tough game of rugby as it used to be played, not impressed with Blanco

[@stephenreeds3672]

He was a wuss. Not allowed to touch him. Champ shld have been sent off. Cowardly.

[@DersouOuzala72]

@@stephenreeds3672 You are a biased ignorant pig, my friend.

[@Potters73]

@@DersouOuzala72 think you dropped this you clown 🏳️

[@zisssssou]

I've never watched so much agressivity and vice on a rugby pitch than during this match. England's plan was clear: provoke French players and gain penalties. They even announced it in the press days before... And it perfectly worked with French retaliations automatically sanctioned and every English cheap shots forgotten. Anyway, everything was "brit" biased in this match from the ref to the tv commentators.

[@pippiperade4030]

And why do you think England adopted that strategy?

[@shane-irish]

LoL typicall over reaction comment

[@rdgrdg1632]

Pathetic comment

[@Chris-xv2gm]

Presumably you are very thick.

[@Chris-xv2gm]

You're dim dude. Super thick.

[@manualteirac9817]

referee clearly in one side.

[@ay613]

England.

[@benoitcransac2178]

well done England.

[@homeone4054]

Lot of protein in the French diet in those days. Mind you they were professional long before England were.

[@fxt363]

Frank Manel ruined it for France. Ball never went past him.

[@user-jf8vt9hm4u]

That brit stomping on blanco is not classic its filthy . Today he 'd be gone for 3 matchs

[@phoenixfridge1495]

Blanco Soccer level of drama queen

[@martincraig9613]

Blanco rolling around like a footballer - not impressive.

[@chrisbaxter3597]

Didn’t see any snivelling from the English when their anthem was being played

[@lesegomaleka1899]

First

[@bobdebeul9547]

shame on the England team and shame on the Welsh referee for allowing this cheating

[@randyschwaggins]

Ok Bob..."shame"...😂

[@rdgrdg1632]

Idiot

[@rdgrdg1632]

Throwing punches at the two smallest on the england team

[@rdgrdg1632]

Winterbottom was englands main man

[@mikeblack2uk]

Andrew first option was always to kick.. FFS

[@rdgrdg1632]

Blanco should have gone