At the end of an autumn sequence of three matches and as many victories, the XV of France was smiling again. Beyond that, there are a number of lessons to be learned, whether about the game or the men who play it. State of play.
It's already time to take stock and, regarding this fall 2024 tour pompously renamed “Autumn Nations Series”, we will therefore mainly remember the positives. Lots of positives, even. And that's not nothing, to conclude an annual cycle which will have been more largely plastered in grayness: since the quarter-final of the World Cup abandoned for a point to South Africa (29-28), the Blues experienced the Irish rout, the Italian shame and the torments of a summer where we talked much more about news items than rugby. The bitch, in short.
This page has just closed with smiles, this Friday at the Stade de France, with a third consecutive victory. A “little Slam” in this fall 2024 tour, which will definitely remain marked by the success against New Zealand (30-29), a week ago; a little less by the one against Argentina, this Friday, at the end of a well-conducted game, quickly excited, but which lacked a scenario with twists and turns to add spice to the big evenings.
The Blues, it’s a fact, are indeed back. That's good and it's a relief. The sequence could even be definitively closed if, on Monday, Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou benefited from a dismissal of their Argentine case, as everything suggests. We could then definitively look to the future. With a good number of lessons to be learned from these three November matches.
Hierarchies disrupted by several people
This is not so common, under the leadership of Fabien Galthié, and it is therefore worth noting. These three international matches were the occasion for several upheavals in the position hierarchies, which the coach had generally frozen during his first four years in office. Thus, we will have seen Jean-Baptiste Gros (injured and quickly replaced this Friday) gain stature in the position of left pillar, in the absence of Cyril Baille, who will now have to force destiny to regain the starting place which gave him seemed automatically assigned recently. We know that on the right, Atonio finally has a successor in the person of George-Henry Colombe and that, if the years were to weigh too much on the performance of “Big Uini”, France would (finally) have the resources to do so. job.
We know that Manny Meafou has the caliber to confirm all his national promises internationally, that Paul Boudehent should settle permanently in this team and reshuffle the cards in the third line and, in fact, put pressure on Anthony Jelonch or Grégory Alldritt, who had long been thought to be untouchable.
We know that Fickou, when the context demands it, is still capable of finding his best standards and that on the wing, the power phenomenon Damian Penaud now has his (Bordeaux) penchant for speed: Louis Bielle-Biarrey, known as “the scooter”, with dazzling acceleration and unrivaled on the rugby planet.
Finally and above all, we know that the shocks of the fall, which disrupted the opener position (as is often the case in French rugby), proved Fabien Galthié's choices right: in the absence of Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos does better than troubleshooting. He is indeed of the stature to fill the void, through his qualities of foot, entertainer and boaster; the one who takes responsibility for others, because he likes it. On this subject, and in this position, Matthieu Jalibert is still part of the equation and, from what we understand, Fabien Galthié does not plan to make him pay in cash for his defection last week by putting him ” in the closet.” But Bordeaux will need patience and talent to reverse the course of its history and its demotion, now very clear, in the hierarchy of openers.
A game project that is slow to evolve
The other subject is that of the base of the game. Numbers, first: in three matches, the XV of France scored 15 tries for only 6 conceded, scored 119 points and conceded only 64 points to opponents. It's a fact and it's the most important thing.
But there are these other figures*, which say a little more about the “rugby project” which is taking shape, but which is slow to be put in place. During the three meetings, the Blues left possession of the ball and therefore the majority of initiatives to the opponent (54% for Japan, 61% for New Zealand, 56% for Argentina). Each time, they also used the kicking game more often: 34 kicks in the first match (only 20 for Japan), 23 in the second match (16 for New Zealand), 26 in the third test (22 for Argentina).
In plain language? Despite the declarations of intentions and developments, the Blues remain a team which, for the moment, is finding its effectiveness in its game of dispossession. This was its DNA for the last four years, from which it has not yet completely extricated itself despite the changes in regulations which push for more possession, precisely.
This was obvious against the All Blacks: stifled by the collective speed and long sequences of the New Zealanders, the Blues found salvation in the second half with lightning actions – their trademark. Defend hard, push the opponent to make a mistake, then punish by proceeding with counterattacks, taking advantage of a few explosive profiles: the power of Meafou or Boudehant, the speed of Bielle-Biarrey or Mauvaka, the glance of Dupont or Ramos to exploit each recovery balloon. It's good, and it wins. So much the better. Will it win for another three years? We must hope…
*official Autumn Nations Series statistics
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