Despite two air gaps before and after the break, the French XV managed to end their Tournament on a good note against England on Saturday. At the end of a crazy match (33-31).
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The final second place in the Tournament is almost anecdotal. What will remain is more the way in which the Blues completed this 2024 edition which began in pain and defeat before ending with this exciting success. The fact that he won against the English obviously doesn’t spoil the fun.
Thanks be thus given to Thomas Ramos who, with this last pump from 50 meters, allowed the Blues to win a match which they largely dominated (472 meters covered with ball in hand against 293, 59% possession, 36 defenders beaten against 18, and 91 rucks won against 49). However, Charles Ollivon’s partners only won by two points. Which suggests that there are still many areas for improvement. And that, perhaps, is the most joyful thing.
What we liked
Cold-picked Rose
This part could have been among the negative points since, after all, it was the English who scored first. But let’s not be stupid: in the mind, if not on the scoreboard, the start of the match for the Blues was almost perfect. Possession of more than 75% after a quarter of an hour, the intensity, the English often overwhelmed, a François Cros who rattled off everything that passed within reach… All that was missing was a successful action to celebrate these intentions. His scrum half was responsible for finishing it.
Garrec like granite
We suspected it since his match against Wales, Nolann Le Garrec is very solid. Much more than a replacement for the irreplaceable Dupont. Happy Fabien Galthié who has two such phenomena. The number 9 in place not only scored the first try for the XV of France, taking advantage of a stolen touch by François Cros and a swerving run from Léo Barré. He also contributed, through his activity and his vision, to asphyxiating England.
A well-helmed boat
At the origin of Le Garrec’s essay, Leo Barré did not stop there. Much more enterprising than against the Welsh, the newcomer scored big points with a view to a lasting installation at the helm of the back lines. The player from the Stade Français is the one who got his team back on track with his try in the 56th minute.
Day 5: Léo Barré scores his first try with the Blues
Overwhelmed since the start of the second half, Léo Barré sounded the revolt in the 55th minute by allowing his teammates to come back to within a point of the English. This is the Frenchman’s first try in the selection. Thomas Ramos, for his part, did the job by successfully completing his transformation.
He is also the one who, through his races, covered the most meters (101) with ball in hand among the thirty players. And finally, he stood out for his ferocious defense (only one missed tackle) and his strong safety on the opposing players.
We didn’t like
Rest is during the break, not before or after
39 minutes almost perfect, indisputable domination, and all that to return to the locker room with only six points in advance? The fault lies in a culpable absence which allows the English to miraculously come back to the score. And get pierced twice from the restart to find yourself eight points behind (16-24, 48th)? Inadmissible. In a few minutes, Galthié’s men went from euphoria to incomprehension. They can only blame themselves for having put their opponents back in the saddle due to lack of concentration.
The “rush defense”, what “rush defense”?
This was supposedly the great English force. The one who had brought the invincible Ireland to its knees and which was going to put the Blue offensives to torment. The famous English “rush defence”, which consists of getting on the ball carrier very quickly, very often found itself chasing air, overtaken by the French combinations. And, as an inevitable corollary of this high-risk tactic, it has often left boulevards behind since, in these cases, there are generally no longer many people on cover. The French delighted in it.