from the pre-match chat to the exploits on the pitch, the recipe that led France to the historic feat in England

The feat is unique, the historic victory. By sweeping England (53-10), Saturday March 11, on its lawn of Twickenham, the French team offered itself a high-flying success, the widest in its history against the XV of the Rose, which had never taken such a beating at home.

To achieve such a performance, Fabien Galthié’s men put many ingredients into the field, but also in the preparation for the match, the speeches… “We make them lower their heads”demanded vigorously Gaël Fickou, captain of the defense, in the locker room before kick-off. “If they made mistakes, it’s because we got away with it 200% and we smashed them”, rejoiced Antoine Dupont, the captain, at the break. All this to achieve intense emotion, embodied by coach Fabien Galthié, who evoked “a perfect day” after the meeting. Stade 2 looks back on this capital match of the XV of France, which maintains it in the hope of retaining its title.