Tactical analysis: what if the quarter-final between France and South Africa was less brutal than expected?

Inevitably, it will be fierce. Titanic. Chaotic. “Violent” even, as Charles Ollivon said again on Friday about last fall’s test (30-26 for the Blues, in Marseille). We cannot put the two strongest teams in the World Cup face to face without the pitch shaking, and the physical dimension taking precedence. But a few elements lead us to believe that this will not be resolved simply with a big push of the shoulders. Coach of the French attack, Laurent Labit again emphasized this week, for the third time in ten months, that his players had not seized certain “playing opportunities” in November.