Three months ago, the French team exited the World Cup after a very rich quarter-final in terms of play. How can we explain Delta with their very poor defeat against Ireland?
I have a hard time explaining it to myself. From a sporting point of view, I didn’t expect France to have such a gap against Ireland. I didn’t think I would see two teams with such different faces. One, Ireland, who mastered their rugby in about 80 minutes. The other, France, seemed to lack reference points altogether. It looked like a team finding itself. Perhaps she is having trouble getting over the disappointment of the World Cup.
The Blues’ argument often gets off to a rough start…
Three months ago, the French team exited the World Cup after a very rich quarter-final in terms of play. How can we explain Delta with their very poor defeat against Ireland?
I have a hard time explaining it to myself. I didn’t imagine France having such a gap against Ireland from a sporting point of view. I didn’t think I would see two teams with such different faces. One, Ireland, who mastered their rugby in about 80 minutes. Another, France, seemed to lack reference points altogether. It looked like a team finding itself. Perhaps she is having trouble getting over the disappointment of the World Cup.
Can the Blues’ often difficult opening argument be put forward?
No. The team that fielded in Marseille was made up of players who had significant experience together. What was surprising was the lack of desire, the lack of initiative, the absence of desire to play. It is a French team that took refuge behind minimalist rugby that did not succeed. And it’s starting to get more and more embarrassing to see players not exploiting their qualities. Which they express in their respective clubs but we don’t see in the French team.
Fabian Galthy often resorted to the pretext of a match scenario with Paul Willemse’s yellow cards. Is it valid?
No, we can’t hear that. Against this Irish team, the French team offered, they could have played with 18, they would not have won. To say otherwise is to lie to yourself. As for the yellow card, for me it is a sign of enthusiasm. I think the disappointment, the frustration of the World Cup has not gone away yet. I am aware that debriefing with sports psychologists has been conducted with the players. But this match against Ireland brings us back to the harsh reality.
Even before Willemse’s first yellow card, the Blues looked to be in trouble, conceding possession to the Irish.
Yes totally. We got rid of the ball and were unable to create. It is still recurring in Fabian Galthi’s game plan to separate himself from the ball to put pressure on the opposition. But we realized that against a team like Ireland, very strong in defence, that caused us a lot of problems. He wanted intensity on the rucks. But isn’t it better to avoid the ruck? I have trouble understanding where Fabian Galthy wants to go.
This French team was initially built with an aggressive and solid defense. She conceded five tries on Friday after four against the Springboks. What was a strong point seems to have become a weakness.
There is a balance that no longer exists between offensive and defensive. Defense is closely linked to notions of organization and commitment. On Friday, there was not. There was a flawed organization with players who forgot themselves, others who didn’t go and attack the opposition at home. At the back, the Irish were able to take advantage of this weakness.
In a lower-intensity match compared to 2023, the French team seemed unable to compete on the athletic dimension?
She did not compete at first because she did not commit to the challenge. Playing this minimal rugby, she doesn’t know if she can overcome this challenge of athletic intensity. That’s a shame. I’m sure the French have the qualities to destroy an opponent on an athletic level. But if we don’t try, this moment is unlikely to come. And we are left with data that is pretty average for an international match.
Has this team with this game system not reached the end of its journey?
You will have to watch the rest of the tournament. Don’t draw too hasty conclusions. But maybe it’s time to develop this project, build it with players. What sport do they want to play? Based on the statistics we may have reached the end of this approach. The human factor must return. There is nothing to involve the players in the construction.
A little match
Last year, the Blues lost in Dublin (32-19) after an epic match with 920 for the French, who faced 242 times, covering more than 1,070 meters of the ball, with more than 46 effective minutes of playing time (168 on Friday). On Friday, the French were never able to compete on the athletic scale when the match was of much lower intensity with just 314 meters covered for the Blues, 389 for the Irish.
Can this team transform with the same men or do they need to take a break?
If the players who are in place are interested in the idea of proposing a new project, this can help to refresh the mind and start a new venture. But they cannot avoid renewal. There are players with whom Fabian will not be able to go to the World Cup in 2027. He wanted to go with the same players to win quickly, maybe achieve a Grand Slam. But maybe that’s a mistake. There are young players who have distinguished themselves with the Under-20s that now is the time to launch. We should stop hiding behind the question of age and experience and take South Africa with its thirty-somethings as an example. The context is completely different. You cannot copy paste.
Will the match against Scotland tell us whether this defeat is an accident or the problem is deeper?
What happened against Ireland was no accident. We think the players are still marked by the World Cup. No will, no will to challenge the opponent. I don’t even know if we can talk about the game if we look ahead to the match against Scotland. You need to find the will again first.
