Volume in silence. Gambling despite the curfew. In the sadness of a Stade France behind closed doors where the gray seats only returned an icy atmosphere, the Blues put colors on the screens of their supporters. This Saturday evening, they beat the Red Devils (38-21), by attacking, by opening towards these adventurous wings as we had not seen for a long time.
These Tricolores Galthié version seem cut out to do the same with the big green men next week in the same place, under the same conditions. The Irish, who will come to play a sort of final three of the Six Nations Tournament in Saint-Denis (by dominating Italy with the bonus, England remains the best placed for the crown, Editor’s note), will they have the weapons? to stop the blue waves? Not sure. The Welsh, them, did not succeed. They have run a lot, it is true, next to their crampons, missing all their landings or almost, even colliding between them on occasion. But it would be a little quick to detect the only reason for the success of the XV of France in this preparation match which caused a sacred pass between the French Federation and the National League.
Five tries of the Blues
“We scored five tries for the Welsh with just one training,” Fabien Galthié is surprised at the microphone of France Television. I hope we were able to give the French who watched the match a little smile. Everything is very positive ”
What did we see then on this lawn that they had not walked since last February 9 and a success over Italy (35-22)? Intentions, launches, desire, enthusiasm. Everything you need to continue to grow well together. Because even if this XV of France is young, even if he had not played for seven and a half months and a defeat in Scotland (28-17), even if confinement, then health measures forced him to a forced break, he has quite solid germs in him. And it doesn’t come out of nowhere.
The fifteen holders lined up against the Welsh were exactly the same as the winners of England at the opening of the Six Nations Tournament on February 2 (24-17) at the Stade de France. Galthié’s first outing as a coach. There were promises read there. They seem to be confirmed today. “We are in our eighth week of training from the very start, that’s how we count,” said the manager.
Mistakes and slowdowns
This explains the rough passages, the faults accumulated especially at the start of the game, and the drop in pace. The Blues are not yet world champions, far from it. But by 2023, there is still time. Dupont, Ntamack, Marchand, Chat, Cros, Alldrit should take even more momentum. And Vakatawa, Fickou, or Thomas, who led the troop to this ultimate success thanks to their magic canes and their improbable gestures, will not yet be crumbling. Without projecting ourselves so far, let’s savor this moment, before an indomitable virus or internal wars tarnish this beautiful picture.
