In an exclusive interview with BOYLE Sports Former England full-back Ben Foden has lauded France's dazzling rugby and has backed them to win the upcoming Rugby World Cup with talent like Thomas Ramos , Matthieu Jalibert and Antoine Dupont
Foden also rules out a Grand Slam for England in the 2026 Six Nations , urges his country to stick with their DNA and ignore the Springboks strategy, says no South Africa joining the Six Nations and praises the impact of Rassie Erasmus
France Rugby
France’s Form
I know everyone talks about Dupont , but the second rows are awesome. And the new kids coming in and carving things up. But I love watching Thomas Ramos most of all. He's one of the best full-backs in the world at the moment. His kicking is unbelievable, and he is another guy who is just trying to make things happen. Their back three is so exciting to watch.
I always thought Dupont and Ntamack were the linchpins of the French side, so good together. And when Ntamack was sidelined, I wondered what they would do. But Jalibert has been a revelation. In the last couple of years, he has come on leaps and bounds. He is just a magician at ten. And France’s creativity is through the roof. Hopefully, a Northern Hemisphere team will win the World Cup next year. I hope it's England , but if not England , I hope it's France .
England Rugby
Grand Slam On The Cards?
No, I can't really. I think that it would take a massive performance from England to go there and win. It’s a tough place to go and win. I have been lucky enough to go there and win. It takes a monumental performance and an off day from France .
The power, the creativity, and the speed and pace that the French players have are just great to watch. It's like watching the old school New Zealand teams.
Should England Follow Springboks' Strategy?
They should follow their DNA. One thing that used to drive me mad about Stuart Lancaster when we were in camp with him is he would always show us clips of New Zealand or South Africa doing something. I was always thinking, ‘Why are we watching the teams that we play and saying this is how we want to play?’
With video analysis now, you have to look at teams and study them and figure out what they're good at. But you have to have your own DNA. You want the world to be watching you, not looking at what everyone else is doing. I think where England are now, they don't need to be looking around and copying people. They just need to do what's right for them. Whether it was the "Bomb Squad" coming on, they just needed to do their own thing.
I would like to see a little bit more star power off the bench rather than just changing the front three. Adam Radwan would be someone I'd be looking at, someone who you can just send on the field, and he is a pocket rocket; if he gets the ball in space, no one's going to get near him. I think we have that in abundance. I'd like to see Max Ojomoh back there, too. George Furbank at 15 could be an option as well.
I think that we lose something with Steward at 15. He is great under the high ball, but if you want some magic to happen and score tries, the fifteen has really got to be a playmaker who can get his hands on the ball a lot and be looking to counter-attack whenever you've got the ball. If people are going to kick long and loosely to you, you've got to have a 15 who will take it back and punish you for it.
South Africa
South Africa vs France
They are two contrasting styles. South Africa are a very structured, very physical side. France are like a 2010 New Zealand team, throwing balls out the back, offloads, Sonny Bill Williams down the middle. New Zealand dominated that era. But at the moment, the way the game consists of the 40 kicks, structure does play a big part.
I'd love to watch South Africa v France in the next two years. The world will be wanting France to win because they play such a ridiculous style of rugby. It's just a feast for the eyes and a proper spectacle.
Erasmus “No To South Africa In Six Nations”
Definitely. You want the four home nations to grow, right? There are so many things that rugby can do. There's so much more that could be done to promote the game, too.
Courtney Lawes talked about it a while ago, saying that England could do more, perhaps stage a North of England versus a South of England match, hold it in the Midlands . It would be awesome. So it would be if the best of the English, Irish, French, Welsh, Italians and Scots took on a team that's built from Australia , New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina . Get the best 48 players in the world together from the northern hemisphere against the southern hemisphere in a three-week test series. It could be like the State of Origin in Australia . It would be such a great spectacle.
I think the product of rugby is good at the moment; it's just about getting the right sort of story around the game. We need to build the audience and grow it out and get people like Henry Pollock on the front of magazines and in TV adverts and all that sort of stuff. It would be great for the game, and we need more of it.
Erasmus Coaching Credentials
Yes, he is. But when you win back-to-back World Cups, and you've been sitting at number one in the world for the last few years, it helps! I'm sure the air that he breathes is very crisp and very rarified. He can't really put a foot wrong.
But I’m sure he comes under pressure as well. He's got to maintain it. He's already in the papers saying he's not interested in watching England because he's only interested in who is going to be the next threat for South Africa. He's always stirring the pot. He always knows how to get the best out of his players. We've seen that from sort of behind the scenes of different TV shows and things he's been involved in.
It's great to have characters, to have a head coach that's willing to be out there, putting himself on the block. He's got the will and the nerve to back it up, and luckily, he's coaching a great bunch of guys who back up his words every time they go out in the field.
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