If the French staff was tempted to the end to start Uini Atonio in delicacy with his calf, it is because he is well aware that his scrum has been evolving between two waters for several months. And that against the All Blacks, this sector has always been crucial for the Blues…
We know the old adage, repeated since the beginning of rugby times, which states that no scrum is ever like the previous one and one match is never like another, in the field of collective test of strength. Precepts brandished over and over again by the brotherhood of the front lines which are also – and above all – a means of cultivating humility, regarding a sector of the game which demands this fundamental value more than another. The fact remains that, despite all these good feelings, certain global trends can be confirmed over time. Regarding the scrum of the XV of France, it is clear that the last few months have not been good…
We remember that, during the quarter-final of the 2023 World Cup against the Springboks, the French front eight suffered a snub in the exercise of collective strength. Likely to undermine his confidence? We cannot say precisely, except to note that, during the last Tournament, the poor shape and excess weight of the survivors of the 2023 World Cup had somewhat weakened a building previously praised for its performances, like a last complicated outing against England in Lyon. And if the Blues had given the impression of rectifying the situation in style in Mendoza, by winning the Pumas scrum in the wake of an impressive Gros-Barlot-Colombe trio, this improvement was unfortunately not confirmed during the test next in Buenos Aires, which saw the tricolor pack (which was further weighed down by the injuries of Colombe then Bamba) get crushed, to the point of conceding a penalty try and resolving to the small shame of the deficiency…
Tevita Tatafu’s big meeting
Since then? The French staff bet big, very big, on the emergence of Tevita Tatafu, the Bayonne prodigy announced as a monster in closed scrum, to the point of having summoned him last summer when he was not still selectable, to better gauge it before its scheduled launch this fall. Verdict? “He had a great performance against Japan.commented with a bit of emphasis on his trainer William Servat. It's never easy to start in the national team and Tevita responded. […] Everything is not perfect with him yet but he is only 22 years old, he will move up in terms of engagement, in the scrum… This boy has will, I remind you that he has lost more than twenty kilos since June to be able to apply with us. He has a body shape that lends itself to this position and our style of play.”
Patrick Derewiany
Certainly. Except that the very high level is also judged in the short term and, against Japan, Tevita Tatafu and the pack of the XV of France did not show themselves as imperial as expected, even waiting for the wave of coaching and the entry of the Wardi-Marchand-Colombe triplet to clearly gain the upper hand over the Japanese. What is there to worry about before the reception of the All Blacks, who turned out to be much more efficient than expected against England and then Ireland? No doubt a bit…
Attention au banc black
This is why, when he had barely recovered from a muscle problem in his calf (never a trivial injury for a player of his size), Uini Atonio, his 37 years and his 145 kilos have long been hoped for against New Zealandwith good memories of the opening match of the last World Cup during which the Rochelais imposed his law on the New Zealanders by recovering several valuable penalties. Except that… “Uini is still recovering, William Servat announced this Tuesday. We are keeping him with us but with the small relapses he has experienced in his calf, he will only be able to apply next week, against Argentina.”
Hence the need to send Tatafu back into combat despite his current shortcomings, with the priority mission of stalling the scrum for as long as possible. Because beyond the titular pillars Tamaiti Williams and Tyrel Lomax, the XV of France especially fears the second New Zealand blade, composed of Ofa Tu'ungafasi and Pasilio Tosi, particularly efficient when they come into play. It offers the All Blacks have a depth of bench that they did not have a little over a year ago. Enough to make the challenge of the Blues even more difficult. Based on the principle that the common point in the history of all French victories against New Zealand has always resided in a dominant scrum, the first blue lines will have little choice but to play one of the matches of their lives Saturday evening…
