They both have as much to lose as to gain. The winner of this clash, between the XV of France and the XV of Clover, Saturday February 12 (5:45 p.m. live on France 2 and france.tv), will take a big step towards the dreamed coronation, weighing down the chances of his opponent. .
If the British like to place the Blues as favorites for this Six Nations Tournament – which suits them well – and relieve themselves of the pressure attached to the status, it seems difficult to move forward unless they imagine something other than a bitter and cramped. Franceinfo: sport offers you a focus on the keys to an already pivotal match for both teams.
Neighbors with similar trajectories
This France-Ireland is more than ever a duel between almost twin neighbors, both in ambitions and in their dynamics. First, these are two teams aspiring to a title that has eluded them for years (2018 for Ireland, 2010 for the Blues), and who hope to use it as a springboard to approach the Cup of the world in France in 2023.
Both have been particularly strong for several months. Thanks to its victory against XV Leek, Ireland became the third best team in the world ranking. After having disposed of England (31-18) or New Zealand last year (29-20), she is able to beat everyone. The second places won in the last Tournaments by the Blues, their 5th place in the world, and this autumn tour concluded in apotheosis with a historic success against the All Blacks (40-25) at the Stade de France are just as promising.
The battle of the rucks, the clash of the wingers
However, they differ in their style. Where the Irish have made the possession game their trademark, faithful to the philosophy of their coach Andy Farrell, Owen’s father, the Habs, on the contrary, bet on an occupation game based on a big defense, a game with a long and precise foot and counters. In 2021, the XV of Clover is the team which made the most passes (187.4), while managing to protect the most rucks (113.1) per game in the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship.
The ability of the Blues to defend well, for a long time, to be able to steal the ball at the right time will be crucial. To meet the expected physical challenge, the tricolor staff chose to densify its package of forwards by renewing in particular the victorious third line of the All Blacks in November.
And since the big matches are also a matter of details, this meeting could just as easily switch to an inadequate fault as to an individual feat. Between the new nugget of Irish rugby, Mack Hansen, the experienced Andrew Conway – author of a double against Wales – and the Penaud-Villière duo brilliant against Italy, the coup de grace could come from the wings. The duel between Yoram Moefena, second tenure in Blue, and the powerful Bundee Aki will also be closely scrutinized.
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The areas of work of the Blues
The photography of the forms of the moment is nevertheless a little different. If Ireland made the cleanest copy of the first day of the Tournament, the meeting ended with a slight taste of unfinished as the final score could have been heavier in view of its domination. She managed to stifle the defending champion, but he greatly lacked spice and response in the absence of many executives. Above all, the Irish opener, Jonathan Sexton, crucial in the success of his team, is forfeited for this shock against the Blues.
That being said, she still set herself up as a boss unlike the Habs, serious winners (37-10), but without panache from Italy. As Antoine Dupont and Raphaël Ibanez rightly pointed out after the match, many elements need to be improved to avoid a disappointment against Ireland: discipline and better management at the foot, in the lead.
The Irish concede few penalties, they are rarely whistled, they know how to play with the rules, it’s more random for us. Against Italy we realized that we had to be more vigilant with regard to certain positions, offsides. There was also a bit of nervousness. Beyond the discipline, we must progress in the control of the gesture and the environment.
Fabien Galthié, coach of the Bluesat the pre-match press conference
Nevertheless, not everything is to be thrown away, the Blues did not sin out of pride and were present in the fight. An element that will necessarily be essential to hope to compete with the Irish that we know needy in this area.
The last Ireland-France in the Tournament
For a long time France dominated the Franco-Irish duels. Over the past ten years, the trend has largely balanced out. If the Blues have won narrow successes over the last two editions (35-27 in 2020 and 13-15 in Dublin in 2021), since 2014 the Irish have won five times against three French victories.
The defeat conceded in 2020 – in the 100th match between the two teams – is on everyone’s mind. “This defeat in Paris taught us a lot about ourselves, the group has grown. Saturday’s game against France is going to be a big test for the group”, warned coach Andy Farrell at a press conference. Before this meeting, France, first in the standings, is ahead of Ireland thanks to a higher goal average. Suffice to say that this match promises to be as undecided as it is explosive.