CIt's always an immense pleasure and we should neither trivialize it nor minimize its significance. Saturday evening, the XV of France won (30-29) for the third time in a row against the All Blacks. After the coup of 2021 which was a catalyst in the adventure of Fabien Galthié's Blues then the victory at the opening of the 2023 World Cup, this success achieved thanks to treasures of courage and a lot of talent, perhaps constitutes to be the trigger that the coach of the France team hoped for to finally launch his second mandate and his group towards the 2027 deadline.
Winning three consecutively against the New Zealanders has only happened once in the history of French rugby. In 1994 and 1995 when a little over a year after the memorable tour of Pierre Berbizier's players, Jean-Claude Skrela's Blues pinned the All Blacks in Toulouse.
Unexpected metamorphoses
But if we must measure the importance of the victory won by Antoine Dupont and his comrades, we must above all place it in the disenchanted context, in this kind of blues which, from Marseille (NFLR: punishment against Ireland) in Mendoza, has accompanied the French XV since its elimination in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Since this heartbreak, we have been waiting for a rebound, a spark. She arrived at the best time. And to be honest, we didn't see it coming. We were even very afraid that the Blues would explode during a first half where we sometimes felt them on the verge of a knockout. But it is true that the chronicle of the XV of France is punctuated by unexpected metamorphoses.
“I expect everything about them to be a problem for us,” admitted Fabien Galthié, referring to the rise in power of the All Blacks, victorious over England (24-22) then Ireland (23-13). . The caution was understandable. Despite the magnitude of the score (52-12), the Blues' first autumn outing against Japan was not really convincing.
Buros rushed in to score a try which offered a little oxygen to a collective in apnea
And the problems mentioned by Galthié quickly jumped in the face of the French. If Thomas Ramos opened the scoring, the All Blacks immediately responded, Peter Lakai achieving their first highlight after two sharp relays from Scott Barrett and Ardie Savea.
If the Blues needed to be aware of the danger, this try sounded like a call to order. Faced with a generous but imprecise French team, misplacing precious balls, particularly in touch, the New Zealanders imposed rugby of impressive intensity during each of their forays into the French thirty meters.
It was a storm warning and we had to hold on to the railing. In the wake of Antoine Dupont sprinting 60 meters into the New Zealand goal to chase a lost cause, the Blues were determined, restless but they often seemed in overdrive.
The French scrum began to squeak on the right side where La Rochelle pillar George-Henri Colombe-Reazel had replaced Tevita Tatafu who was very quickly injured. And behind a chaotic and poorly negotiated exit by Grégory Alldritt and Dupont, Cameron Roigard emerged to score New Zealand's second try.
This could be a fatal break. But the Blues reacted and a sequence of shelling allowed the French attack to find a space where Romain Buros rushed to score a try which offered a little oxygen to a collective in apnea.
Because the All Blacks continued to press on areas where the Blues seemed vulnerable. At the heart of the game where Wallace Sititi aged Greg Alldritt. In the corridors, where Gabin Villière held on as best he could to stop the tumbles of his opposite number Caleb Clarke.
Clinging to their hope
The seven points behind at the break (17-10) was a minimal sanction. But this small gap left room for hope. And the Blues kept this flame alive after returning from the locker room, with a try from Paul Boudehent after a monumental initial charge from Emmanuel Meafou.
Better, while the All Blacks tried to accelerate, the Blues defense stopped the New Zealand attack, Ramos tried to follow and Louis Bielle-Biarrey put everyone in the race to put the Blues in the lead (27-20 ).
There were over 20 minutes left, and the All Blacks had of course not said their last word. They appeared very threatening. Charles Ollivon snatched a searing ball in front of the line but two penalties from Damian McKenzie brought the All Blacks back on the French heels.
Scott Barrett and his teammates still had energy in their tank, the Blues a little less. But they clung to their hope. After a penalty exchange, the Blues were still one point ahead at the start of money time. They weren't going to let him go.
