We would not be against a new party, of course. After the Twickenham waltz, the Saint-Denis java? Everything seems written for that. Welshmen who only have bloody red jerseys, even weaker than the English, that is to say, show up at the Stade de France this Saturday, March 18 with the heads of withered leeks expecting to go through the mill.
The Roosters with sharp claws, who have already stripped a whistling XV of the Thornless Rose (10-53) under the London showers a week ago, are salivating in advance. A party in their garden to close the Tournament, happy supporters, a conquered public, audiences in the firmament, it’s beautiful, it flatters pride, it makes you smile, but it’s not an end in itself.
The issue is elsewhere. First of all, it is a question of trying to detect in these trompe-l’oeil matches whether or not the XV of France has progressed well throughout a competition that started sluggishly in Italy (24-29), continued by a slightly worrying setback in Ireland (32-19) then by a barely convincing success against the Scots (32-21).
Because beyond this Tournament, which they will probably finish in second place – unless the Irish collapse to everyone’s surprise at home this Saturday against the English still suffering from their historic rout -, the Blues have in their sights on the World Cup in France in less than six months (September 8-October 28). The supreme objective of the year, the major objective of the mandate.
To play their role as favourites, to present themselves there with the most confidence and assurance possible, they must score points, both sportingly and psychologically. The contract was fulfilled wonderfully last season with a demonstration in the fall of 2021 against the All Blacks (40-25) and above all a completed Grand Slam at the end of the following winter. But since then, if the successes have continued to follow, except in Ireland on February 11, the XV of France has appeared less flamboyant, less dominating.
The Tricolores with Galthié sauce understood that they had to make an impression again. Hence their ruthless side at Twickenham and their need to start again this Saturday. “The victory in England gave us a lot of satisfaction but there are still many points for improvement, underlines the coach. Without any pretension, just by being objective, we can play better, with or without the ball. “Poor Welsh?
