After the victory of the Blues against the Pumas, this Friday, November 22 at the Stade de France (37-23), find the favorites and the favorites of L'Indépendant.
We liked
The strong return of certain players who were excluded
Damian Penaud, then Théo Attissogbé were preferred to Gabin Villière to face Japan two weeks ago. Charles Ollivon accompanied him to the stands that evening. It was a surprise. Fabien Galthié was already talking about emulation to justify his choices. And, it is clear that this has borne fruit, because, behind it, the players are responding. In three weeks, Villière and Ollivon went from the stands to major performances: 19 tackles made for the third line, best of the match in this area, 10 for the winger, a single miss for both, a ball stolen into touch for Ollivon, 36 meters covered ball in hand for Villière… A real reaction of pride and an exemplary mentality which counts in the construction of a group. In the same vein, we could add, Léo Barré who had played against Japan, but who, to everyone's surprise, had been excluded against the Blacks. And, until Wednesday morning, he was not scheduled to play against Argentina. However, on the pitch at the Stade de France, he was good with ball in hand, offering a try to Gabin Villière (33rd). In the back of the field too, he was interesting in coverage and on his restarts. He had a little difficulty during the first 20 minutes on high balls, but the fact remains that he also responded, with a lot of quality, despite the rotations he underwent.
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XV of France: the Blues in complete control against Argentina finish their tour perfectly
The first half
30 to 9. This score at the end of the first act in favor of the Blues is quite evocative. It says a lot about the mastery and efficiency of the XV of France. It is also a reflection of the difficulties of Argentina which, in 2024, is struggling to get into its matches well. His greatest exploits were built on comebacks in the second half. But this Friday, France did what was necessary. She disgusted the Pumas thanks to an aggressive defense, limiting their entries into the 22 meters, or by turning them into the in-goal (13th, 53rd), and by being uncompromising when she entered the opposing 22 meters. A first half full of coldness and pragmatism. And if Argentina found salvation at the foot, Thomas Ramos responded so early, even when the penalty was more than 50 meters away (22nd).
The scenography of the Stade de France
The Stade de France lived up to the posters for this Autumn Nations Series. After the grandiose staging around the haka and the Marseillaise a cappella against New Zealand, the entry against Argentina was also expected. And the more than 66,000 spectators got their money's worth. The blue-white-red decor was present, the fireworks embellished the Stade de France, the light shows to the rhythm of the player presentations at the announcement of the teams were well thought out. Everything was beautiful. We were almost disappointed that the lights came back on at the end of the national anthems. But we had to make way for the second part of the show. We will also remember that the Stade de France, at least, has learned the lessons of the Olympic Games and is capitalizing on the great celebration that reigned around sport.
We didn't like
A scrum not sovereign enough
It's true that we're talking about a controlled victory for the French team. And that's generally true. But in conquest, everything was not perfect. The scrum, in particular, was penalized four times (2nd, 7th, 42nd, 52nd). In the offensive phase, out of four munitions, the Blues lost one. This marks the “lack of offensive consistency” that Antoine Dupont pointed out at the end of the match. The touchline was also chaotic, with two lost balls (28th, 30th). Nothing that has made the Blues tremble, the Argentinian game being mined by slag, but this is part of the adjustments that remain to be made to gain continuity in the French game.
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XV of France – “We win our three matches, so we can enjoy”: after the victory against Argentina (37-23), find the reactions of Fabien Galthié and Antoine Dupont
The slight relaxation at the start of the second half
Leading 30-9 at the start of the second half, it was not illogical to see the Blues slow down. Nor to see Argentina try to put more. The differential was visible. France suffered a lot between the 40th and Thomas Gallo's try (57th). The Blues were penalized and camped in front of their line. This gave rise to fears of Argentina's famous comebacks. But Louis Bielle-Biarrey calmed these enthusiasm thanks to his crazy speed on his wing (58th). The Pumas did not manage to ignite the match behind. They were also tired. But still, the start of the second period raised fears of a relaxation and sent a little shiver through the Stade de France.
