The Blues lacked a little momentum for a triumph. Just enough to keep them excited for the future after their success at the opening of the Six Nations Tournament against Ireland this Thursday evening at the Stade de France (36-14).
A match that started with a stampede. A berezina. In the other direction this time. The Clover XV was in green, as usual, but it could have worn black and white as its rugby seemed to come from another age, without inspiration, without speed. In retrospect, this is scary because even if there is nothing really surprising coming from an aging team, whose decline began more than a year ago, and apparently without relief, this evaporation under the drizzle of Saint-Denis reminds us that from demonstration to collapse, everything can happen very quickly.
Dupont, a reassuring return
If the Greens quickly got down on their knees, the Blues managed almost everything for fifty minutes. It was light and shadow under the floodlights of the Stade de France. A chiaroscuro. A film full of contrasts. Fabien Galthié’s players first recited their score seriously, without embellishment, relying on their red helmets to inoculate their venom.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey did not take long to appear. Exactly two minutes for a first spike on his left wing. Charles Ollivon, a bit clumsy, did not convert the opportunity. A good ten minutes later, the Bordeaux-Bègles winger took it upon himself to eliminate three defenders, again along his left lane, in a pocket handkerchief. The rocket reached the promised land and at the same time extinguished the slim hopes of an Irish team already in apnea (13th).
LBB repeated his move in the second half (47th), bringing to 22 the number of his attempts registered in the blue jersey. At 22 years old… The score was then 29-0. Between these two sprints from another planet, a new world has arisen. The French XV no longer fights in the same category as its opponent who not so long ago competed for the title of best team in Europe. The Tricolores, winners of the Six Nations Tournament in 2022 (Grand Slam) and 2025, supervising the Irish coronations (2023, 2024).
A slight decline after coaching
At their head, their captain Antoine Dupont, who returned from eleven months of absence due to a rupture of the cruciate ligament in his right knee which occurred on March 8, 2025 during an Ireland-France (27-42) already without suspense, led his boat perfectly. Just in his choices and in his gestures, he made a lot of noise around him. No doubt, even if he has not yet regained all his punch, the Toulouse scrum half reassured everyone. At his side the opener Matthieu Jalibert, all freshness, showed his enthusiasm, scoring a try in passing (22nd), just to prove to his coach that he has his place with the Blues.
The ride could have turned into a festival. The Stade de France could have been in turmoil. It didn’t happen because the Tricolores weakened. “Everything will not be perfect,” predicted Fabien Galthié before the match. He was right. His coaching, very early (50th), from the front five, weakened the building. His team matched its opponent, finishing in slow motion, hands at the top of the handlebars, and conceding two tries (58th, 62nd), before Théo Attissogbe’s final dive into the goal under the siren.
This decline raises some questions, even if the Blues will not have much to fear during their next match in Wales, on February 15. On the other hand, in Scotland, on March 7, and against England, on March 14, it would be better to last 80 minutes.
