game management, the threat Finn Russell and the performance of the third blue line… The keys to the match of the Six Nations Tournament

Two weeks after the defeat in Ireland, the Blues resume competition. For the 3rd day of the Six Nations Tournament, they find the Stade de France, where they welcome Scotland, Sunday February 26 (4 p.m., on France 2 and france.tv). The poster promises spectacle, between revengeful Frenchmen and ambitious Scots.

Finding tactical clarity in the face of the ideal opponent

The French game was at the heart of the discussions after the Dublin setback. The comments made after the meeting hinted at a strategic disagreement between Fabien Galthié and his men. “We should have occupied more, played high […] Perhaps Damian’s (Penaud) try suggests that we will be able to score several times from our side“, regretted the coach. “If we don’t have this desire to want to play the balls of our camp, we will never score this try from Damian”had analyzed a little earlier Romain Ntamack.

Facing Scotland, the Blues will have to juggle more skillfully between footwork and hand raises. If the XV du Chardon must be feared, it has everything the ideal opponent to find a little tactical clarity. Particularly players, Finn Russell’s teammates expose themselves more than other nations to counter-assassins. A sector in which the Blues of Galthié are masters.

Can these Blues beaten in Ireland raise their heads?

Big question on the French side: has the XV of France digested the defeat in Ireland, the first for a year and a half and a record series of 14 victories? “We have already been in this situation and we have been able to bounce back”assured Antoine Dupont before the meeting. It will also be interesting to see how the blue hinge will manage to find solutions during the match. Fabien Galthié has chosen to trust the same fifteen holder (with the exception of Atonio, suspended), who will not be able to afford too many moods against the Scots in full confidence.

For its part, the XV du Chardon has a new status of aspiring to the title and the Grand Slam to tame. With two victories in two games, the Scots made their best start to the Six Nations Tournament for more than 20 years (1996), and were alone undefeated with Ireland.

The Haouas challenge, back to compensate for the absence of Atonio

We will have to do without one of the key elements of the first line, Uini Atonio, suspended after a dangerous tackle in Ireland. The staff of the Blues chose to trust Mohamed Haouas to replace him in the starting fifteen. Former holder of the position in the France team, his return allows “to maintain a substantial collective experience”justified Fabien Galthié, even if Haouas has not started an international match since November 2021.

Alongside the other front row holders, Julien Marchand and Cyril Baille, the Montpellier player will have to work to compensate for the absence of the imposing La Rochelle player (145 kg) in winning the ball. Especially against a Scottish team which arrives, it, in full, with a first line Schoeman-Turner-Fagerson of the most experienced (80 cumulative selections).

Russell and the all-hazard Scottish rear triangle

If the Blues will have to be wary of the whole Scottish team, four individuals particularly stand out. In the front row, Finn Russell, the conductor of the Scottish game. Fabien Galthié has clearly identified the threat posed by the Racing player, “put in the best conditions in the center of the field”, and who bears a large part of the responsibilities (where his French counterpart Romain Ntamack “don’t play alone”he insisted).