Ups and downs and many lessons to learn. With its victory against England (33-31) in the last match of this 2024 Tournament, Saturday March 16, the French XV concluded seven weeks of an intense competition, started amid adversity and difficulty, and marked by great resilience. Franceinfo: sport takes stock of this eventful French campaign, a Tournament “hell, literally and figuratively”according to Fabien Galthié.
The satisfactions
A first step to get rid of the disappointment of the World Cup
They didn’t want to talk about it, or barely, but the heartbreak of elimination at the World Cup at home definitely weighed on everyone’s minds. We had to wait for the joy of the offensive demonstration in Cardiff, and especially the emotions of the last victory to openly evoke the trauma. “We had to hang on, we were coming back from a huge disappointment”recognized a Thomas Ramos moved to tears at the microphone of France 2 on Saturday. “In this victory, there is learning from what happened a few months ago”assured his coach shortly after at a press conference.
Day 5 – Thomas Ramos: “We found the desire that we perhaps didn’t have at the start of the Tournament”
Author of a superb match including the winning penalty, 50 meters, Thomas Ramos stopped at the microphone of France Télévisions to discuss this last match of the Six Nations Tournament.
With this ultimate success with content so similar to the quarter-final, but with a much happier outcome, the Blues have undoubtedly taken a first big step towards the future. For Dimitri Yachvili, “it was important to have scenarios that tilted to our advantage, it’s now done”. The Blues can now look to the future. “This is not the end of the Tournament, but the beginning of something else”promised Fabien Galthié.
A pool of young people at the level
If the collective has regained color, it is largely thanks to the new blood that has been injected into it. Forced by injuries and suspensions, Fabien Galthié broke his dogma of continuity to throw several young players into the deep end on the Cardiff pitch, before leading them back against the English. “It’s one of the riches of French rugby, to train young people, to make them work well and to launch them to a high level”analyzes Vincent Clerc, consultant for France Télévisions.
Day 5: Nolann Le Garrec scores the first try of the match
France-England
(FRANCE TELEVISIONS)
In the wake of Nolann Le Garrec, impressive throughout the Tournament first in a finisher role then with the number 9 at their back, the young people demonstrated that the confidence placed in them was well founded. In the last two matches, they left with the two honorary player of the match titles (Le Garrec, in fact, in Wales, and Léo Barré against England). And promises for the future.
A collective capable of raising its head
This was the objective they set themselves after the very disappointing draw against Italy: to find momentum and finish with two victories. Returning from the second week of rest, the Blues delivered a much better final segment, with a big victory in Wales, and a stunning success against England. “The important thing was to see the team progress throughout the Tournament and to end with a victory, that’s always more positive”assures Dimitri Yachvili, consultant for France Télévisions.
Fabien Galthié’s men were able to find the physical, and especially mental, resources to raise their heads, like the crossover for an hour with the Welsh, or the strength of character to come back in the last seconds in front of the English. “We showed a lot of character, it’s in these moments that we see what is in this team”, appreciated Grégory Alldritt at the microphone of France 2 on Saturday.
Deceptions
A break in progress
They hadn’t accustomed us to that. After four years of almost linear progression towards the World Cup, the Blues have marked time, swept away by Ireland in the opening, passed to an arbitration decision for defeat in Scotland, and very close to being penalized against Italy . “There was a difficult first part, with a desire for stability, which ultimately did not pay off with poor performances. We felt that it was hard to restore the same intensity as in the previous mandate”believes Vincent Clerc.
Day 3: Paolo Garbisi’s incredible last-second miss
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(FRANCE 2)
In difficulty during their first three outings, they long gave the impression of a permanent construction site, with an identity, a connection, and a pleasure of playing gone. A situation that the Blues want to understand to ensure they do not reproduce it, as Thomas Ramos said before England: “We will still have to look at what went wrong at the start of the Tournament so that it does not happen again.”
Players with not so inexhaustible resources
In the absence of several notable players, the remaining executives of the XV of France were particularly monitored. But not everyone approached the meeting with the same form and the same state of freshness. “It’s always difficult to approach a post-World Cup Tournament […] Some players were mentally tired”analyzes Dimitri Yachvili, while Vincent Clerc evokes “crazy calendars”. Before finding canes in the final sprint, certain players like Grégory Alldritt, Gaël Fickou and Cyril Baille initially appeared blunt.
Others failed to seize the opportunity to shine, like the Bordeaux hinge Matthieu Jalibert-Maxime Lucu, expected at the turn. Shaken and stuttering in the first matches, it was dismantled without having convinced after the injury of Matthieu Jalibert against Italy then the downgrading of Maxime Lucu in favor of the youth.
Still having issues in the game
The euphoria of the last victory should not make us forget that the content was far from perfect, in Lyon as on the other pitches. The Blues successively suffered from disorganization, worrying indiscipline (four cards in the first three matches), lack of offensive efficiency (pointed out by the coach after the match against England), and astonishing defensive brittleness. over the last two matches (seven tries conceded out of 10 entries into the 22 meters), with empty passages and holes in the first curtain.
Day 5: France – England summary (2024)
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(FRANCE 2)
The French XV had to deal with absences, adapt to a staff reshuffled in key sectors, and an evolution from a game of dispossession to a game a little more balanced between the feet and the hands. “I hope we managed to rebuild something that will be even more solid,” asked Gaël Fickou on France 2. The question of content will remain one of the question marks that will follow this Tournament.