The XV of France will return to the field. Four months after its match against Argentina in Buenos Aires during the summer tour, the French Rugby team returns to the field, Saturday November 9, against Japan at the Stade de France. This will be the first of three matches on the autumn tour, which will then see them face New Zealand (November 16) and Argentina (November 22), each time in Saint-Denis.
The opportunity for Fabien Galthié and his players, affected by the extra-sporting affairs that occurred this summer, to put the game back at the center. The opportunity also to draw a new framework, a little over a year after the World Cup and seven months after a frustrating Six Nations, finished in second place.
“Talking about rugby differently” after extra-sporting setbacks
“There was a before Mendoza, and there will be an after Mendoza”. At a press conference on October 29, coach Fabien Galthié recognized that the Jégou-Auradou affair had left consequences within French rugby. The suspension of Melvyn Jaminet after racist remarks, as well as the tragic drowning of Medhi Narjissi, have increased the climate weighing on the FFR for several months.
As a result, a new “living environment” was presented to players in order to prevent future excesses. “It's up to us to be exemplary. If we follow this line of conduct, there should be no problemsestimated the second row of Toulouse, Thibaud Flament. I see it more as an opportunity to get off to a fresh start, to give new impetus.”
The FFR announced that it also wanted to modify its internal regulations to be able to carry out alcohol and drug checks. “We want to talk about rugby differently”aimed, in September, to vice-president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), Jean-Marc Lhermet. With the return of Antoine Dupont and the executives, the XV of France has the opportunity to refocus interest on the field.
Reintegrate Antoine Dupont after his dream summer
It is the return of the scrum half, star of the summer with rugby sevens, which will focus the attention. The number 9 has not worn the blue jersey since… the quarter-final of the World Cup, on October 15, 2023, lost against South Africa. Absent from the Six Nations Tournament to better prepare for the Olympics, Antoine Dupont will find his starting and captain costumes which the Blues have missed for more than a year.
He should pick up where he left off: as leader and dynamiter of the game, a segment where the XV of France suffered in his absence. Without Nolan Le Garrec, injured in one knee and replaced by Baptiste Serin when he seemed to have taken the role of number 2, it is Maxime Lucu who should serve as an understudy for Toulouse, at least for this match. The fact remains that behind Dupont, these three matches could serve to confirm a new hierarchy among the replacements.
Three matches to reconnect with solidity
After a passable Six Nations, where France finished second despite a humiliation against Ireland (17-38) and a happy draw (13-13) against Italy, and a summer tour concluded with a defeat at Buenos Aires against Argentina (33-25) in the context of the Jégou-Auradou affair, the XV of France must find its fundamentals. With foolproof defensive solidity (or almost) under the Galthié era, the French have, in 2024, opened the doors wide. With 24.5 points conceded per game on average this year (they conceded 18.7 points in 2023 and 18 in 2022), this is the worst average since the arrival of the coach in 2020.
It will therefore be necessary to raise the bar against Japan, which had failed five points behind the French in 2022 (15-20), the Argentinians, and the New Zealanders. The Kiwis are coming out of a mediocre Rugby championship (three victories and three defeats) and remain on two significant setbacks against the French (the biggest defeat in their history against France in 2021 and the disillusionment of the opening match of the Coupe du world). Two French victories acquired at the Stade de France, which Antoine Dupont's teammates find for the first time since the quarter-final of the 2023 World Cup against the Springboks.
Find a backbone and integrate young people to regenerate the group
Fabien Galthié should still keep the skeleton of March. Among the forwards, Peato Mauvaka, Thibaud Flament, Grégory Aldritt and François Cros are unbreakable, as are Antoine Dupont, Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey among the backs.
But the absences of former captain Charles Ollivon, not even in the group against Japan, or of Gaël Fickou, captain of the defense and placed on the bench for the first time since February 2019, are there to remind us that no one is installed. “There is no comfort zone in the French team”recalled the coach, Thursday, during the announcement of his team against the Japanese, speaking “of emulation and continuity” : “There are players who push the competition and enter this XV of France or the 23.” And set a course: “What we want is to keep our best players who have lived these five years. But for that, they must be able to regenerate, they must be able to prepare themselves to continue to progress and not stagnate because that they have a match load, and such a heavy emotional load.”
Without Fickou or Jonathan Danty, who started at the World Cup but was not called up, a new pair of centers will officiate: Yoram Moefana and the young Emilien Gailleton (three selections). By bringing eight novices (no selection in Blue) among the 42 players called up (the group was reduced to 23 for the match), Fabien Galthié carries out his squad review.
Without Ntamack, a hinge to (re)build
Romain Ntamack's struggles continue. The Stade Toulouse player, who has not played for the French team since his injury in preparation for the 2023 World Cup, was injured in a calf in mid-October, while he was applying to reform the so effective hinge with Antoine Dupont. “We decided with Romain to really take the time”, soothed Fabien Galthié, believing that there was no “no emergency” to remind him, without however forfeiting him for the November matches.
As during the World Cup and the Six Nations Tournament, in his absence, Matthieu Jalibert and Thomas Ramos are competing for place. Between the professional number 10 from Bordeaux and the versatile Toulouse fullback, who holds this position in training, Fabien Galthié chose the second. “The level of this hinge is essentialhe decided. But of course Matthieu Jalibert matters to us. He's been with us for five years, he performs with his club, with us.”
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