The sequence says everything about the envy and the anger of these Blues. Here they are, cornered on their line. Opposite, more or less the forwards who martyred the All Blacks in the semifinals of the last World Cup. Ball in hand, the XV de la Rose multiplies the violent percussions to pass in force and bring these rebellious reservists to reason just before the break. But the charges of the colossi are linked, and the French do not give in. Until winning, after more than two minutes of intensive shelling, the showdown against their formidable hosts with an English forward synonymous with pause with seven points ahead for the tricolors (6-13).
“We felt strong defensively, but they wanted to bludgeon us with direct play,” says the back Brice Dulin, one of the ghosts of the fall and author of the only French test. We held on, and after this action, we run back to the locker room despite all our energy expenditure. They, we had the impression that they were KO standing for not having managed to make us crack. “
And probably surprised by the abnegation these Blues. Those whose ego has been crumpled by the pikes of the British media, “guilty” of having qualified the meeting as “farce” in view of the CVs of the French players chosen to prepare for the meeting. It must be said that French rugby had sought it out, with this wobbly deal between the clubs and the Federation which did not allow Fabien Galthié to benefit from his executives on all the autumn matches.
Without its executives, the XV of France has transcended
“They spoke a lot in the press, we were silent and we worked”, loose the scrum half Baptiste Couilloud, 23 and bombed captain for his first selection with the XV of France. “We worked a lot on the strategy of the English and the way they use their game on foot … You have not let go of me this week,” he smiles, turning to his coach, present at his side at a press conference .
At that moment, two feelings are fighting in the head of the boss of the Blues. “The frustration” of having lost the final of the Nations Cup in an overtime in sudden death after having conceded a try in the dying moments of regulation time. But also “satisfaction”. That of having brought a team that had only 68 caps at kick-off to compete with an opponent who had nearly 800.
“What is good is that the players who came back forcibly with this agreement believed in their ability to respond present and to seize opportunities”, slips Fabien Galthié. “Blown away” by the assimilation capacity of this group, a large part of which had dominated Italy (36-5) the previous weekend, the staff saw their team transcend themselves and free themselves from the weight of the absence of Antoine Dupont, Charles Ollivon, Virimi Vakatawa or Gaël Fickou.
“They were unsettled because we had a great match”
At Twickenham, we especially saw how the staff had managed to weld these players to whom everyone was promising hell. As of the warm-up, the Blues communicated in circles, the arms on the shoulders of the neighbors. Throughout the match, the substitutes gave voice to every action, trying to contend with the noise of the 2,000 spectators returning to Twickenham. A last image to convince you: that of the sprint of all the players to try to disrupt the transformation of Farrell after the English test. A solidarity which materialized in a constant struggle.
“They were destabilized because we had a great match, loose second row Guillaume Ducat. We were above them on aggressiveness and commitment. “” I’m a sore loser, so I’m not going to tell you that it counts as a victory, but we have seen important things in the construction of this group “, breaths Dulin. The XV of France has not won at Twickenham since 2007, its reservists have at least gained respect there this Sunday afternoon.
