We saw him slip between the defenders, like an eel. Simple. We saw him dive into the in-goal to concretize the work of his friends. Basic. With his three tries since the start of the Tournament, Damian Penaud is the co-best tricolor scorer alongside Gabin Villière. Covidé, the winger of the Blues, back to face England (Saturday at 9 p.m.), will make available to the group all his offensive science.
But if the XV of France is in a position to play this final for a potential Grand Slam in the event of victory on Saturday March 19, it is also thanks to the impregnation of a new defensive culture concocted by the English master of the “rush defense” Shaun Edwards. Like his team, the Clermont winger, leader of the fight against Italy, raised his cursor in the exercise. In this system where an oppressive defense feeds shattering counterattacks, the 25-year-old seems particularly fulfilled.
Let’s focus on what we knew first. With the Blues as at ASM, Damian Penaud quickly distinguished himself as an outstanding finisher: 16 tries in 32 selections, 45 in 100 games with Clermont, or one try every two games. Capable of exploiting the slightest flaw and creating, through his footwork and his support, opportunities that will benefit him or his teammates, the native of Brive has once again been faithful to his reputation.
In addition to his three achievements, he is notably directly involved in Yoram Moefana’s first selection test in Scotland after a festival of passes in defense. But also on that of Jonathan Danty, beneficiary of a clever kick over the winger, to sink the Scots just after returning from the locker room.
If the visual impression of an offensive arrow stood out to you, the numbers speak for themselves. He is the Frenchman who crosses the most with Gabin Villière (5 crossings) and the one who beats the most defenders after his captain Antoine Dupont (10 for Penaud, 11 for Dupont), while he has played one game less. These aspects are essential to disorganize the opposing defenses and allow the Blues to play in the advance. Above all, as he showed on Yoram Moefana’s test, the Clermontois is capable of making passes in defense, after-contact passes which allow the French attack to maintain their speed while advancing.
This counter game, all in speed, is a system in which Damian Penaud can express all his qualities. Nevertheless, until now, he was not really the name that we slept at the end of a match to praise the defensive abnegation and the devastating tackles. Not that he wasn’t defending, he just didn’t compare to many of his teammates. The praises were directed rather towards Grégory Alldritt, Anthony Jelonch or even Gabin Villière who particularly distinguished themselves in the exercise.
Damian Penaud was closer to a player accustomed to catching up with his vis-à-vis by the socks, to cling to them firmly while waiting for a teammate to come, second in line, to finish the job. Clean without particularly marking the retina. But the commitment and success shown in the exercise since the first match of the Tournament against Italy are of a completely different ilk. Like the France team, the Clermontois raised his cursor in defense probably well guided by Shaun Edwards, for whom victories are won first in defense.
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Since the start of the Six Nations, Damian Penaud has made ten tackles. It is difficult to read this simple figure, rather average for wingers, to realize his performance. However, the Clermontois managed two offensive tackles, those who set back the opponent, it is more than two of the best tacklers of the Blues who are the third lines Grégory Alldritt and Anthony Jelonch.
If the figure is not mind-blowing in itself, it testifies to a physical commitment, perhaps also to a better placement, to more effective choices than before in this phase of the game. Above all, it confirms the impression that leave his last performances, from a winger both engaged in the collision phases and when you have to sprint to the other end of the field to play an aerial duel under a candle.
In any case, if in the wake of Damian Penaud the XV of France works as seriously offensively as defensively as its combat leader, it will have all the keys to try to win the Grand Slam which has eluded it for twelve years. And that will go through a victory, Saturday, in a Crunch which promises to be explosive.