RugbyWrap: Enfants Terribles

Right, time to get a steaming cup of java down to nurse the hangover picked up watching Bath B against Leinster D and then the France v Pumas game - and see what the papers say today. Only one story possible: Argentina's mighty effort to put away the hosts on home turf, 17-12. What a game it was. And what a curry afterwards.

L'Equipe is in full mourning after a game which had been a virtual banker for the Bleus. Laurent Benezech puts the loss down to management, particularly the mental approach in the final 12 hours before the game. Managing the psyche of any French national side must be the definition of herding cats - we don't know what the phrase for "tight sphincter" is in French - but everyone from Skrela to Ibanez had un stinker last night.

Stuff gets right to the point - the French can't flop again against Ireland, and need Paul O'Connell's men to beat the Pumas to give them any chance of avoiding either ignominious exit from their own tournament or a quarter-final meeting with the All Blacks in Cardiff. Laporte admits that his men "flopped" in the first match, but at least they got a losing bonus point.

The Guardian isolates the dominance of Sale forward Juan-Martin Fernandez Lobbe over old stager Fabien Pelous, the spark of Contepomi and Corleto behind the pack and the success Argentina experienced putting up bombs to Cedric Heymans.

The Times goes hyperbolic with "Defeat Casts Grim Shadow Over a Nation" - I mean, come on - but files a pretty accurate match report. The Argentinians utterly dominated the first half but, according to The Times (and Scrumbag freelancer Kat) the French came out sniffing blood and their pack put in some hard yards at the top of the second half to show what they could potentially do to the Pumas if they could keep the pressure up and the Puma defence faltered. In the end, Argentina made 110 tackles to France's 60 - massive defensive effort.

The Telegraph trots out the usual cliche about Argentinian beef and then redeems itself by putting forward a good angle - Tony Spreadbury not yapping on for once, which apparently got Ibanez a bit chopsy. Through the cider fug, Scrumbag was wondering why Spredders' performance was more enjoyable than usual, and that's the answer; the IRB told him to shut up. Gracias, Syd Millar. And the Torygraph gets the hyperbole award of the day for this little gem:

"France looked nervous and strangely constipated in the ideas department. It was the 18th-century revolutionary Danton who espoused the virtues of boldness in the uprising against the aristocracy, and to a large extent this blueprint has been enthusiastically followed by French rugby teams. As Danton used to say to his followers, "L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace."

Inspirational. Time for a bacon sandwich.