The French attack will be expected to be as spectacular as it is effective. Except that everything will obviously not be so simple…
It is an understatement to say that in view of the offensive performances of UBB and Stade Toulouse since the start of the season, and more particularly in the Champions Cup, the supporters of the XV of France will have the eyes of Chimène for their line of defense. three-quarter view, hoped to be as effective as it is spectacular. Just think that to the trio of Toulouse creators Dupont-Ntamack-Ramos who know each other like the back of their hand, the Blues staff is offered the possibility of adding the Gironde arrows Damian Penaud and Louis-Bielle-Biarrey, finishers in full confidence since the two authors of 31 tries since the start of the season…
A guarantee of absolute success for three-quarter coach Patrick Arlettaz? You unfortunately suspect that this would be too simple… Firstly because at the center of his attack, the Catalan technician will have to deal without Gaël Fickou and therefore with a midfield to rebuild…
Dispossession and (counter)blitz attacks
A project all the more delicate if the Bordeaux native Yoram Moefana has gradually settled into the position of number 12 to succeed Jonathan Danty, the latter is still looking for his reference match in blue, whether at defensive or offensive level. Enough to make the equation all the more complex as at his side, it is not his club partner Nicolas Depoortère who seems to be favored by the staff, nor the Palois Emilien Gailleton with whom he shared playing time in the fall, but the Toulouse Pierre-Louis Barassi (3 selections) who has not played in the French team since the summer tour in Australia, almost four years ago.
-What is there to fear about a lack of reference points and fluidity in connections during game launches and other semi-attacks? Obviously a little, even if club automatisms could compensate for a lot of things… And all the more so since, with the return of the Dupont-Ntamack association at the hinge helping, it is difficult to imagine the XV of France not being in the continuity of its autumn test matches. Namely to rely above all on the old recipe of “fulgurances”, dispossession and lightning counter-attack, in which the TGV Louis-Bielle-Biarrey particularly distinguished itself this fall, and where Damian Penaud obviously made his mark. evidence.
Dupont, ever more central cog
As for the animation of the game in the long sequences, we can also suspect that it will revolve – at least as much, if not more – around the playing master Antoine Dupont, who will not only be able to count on his natural connections with certain partners ( Mauvaka, Flament, Meafou and Alldritt not to mention them) to find spaces around the rucks, but who should also see his task made easier by the new rules put in place three weeks ago by World Rugby, which offer more latitude to the number 9 behind scrums, rucks and mauls.
“It’s a good thing for the quality of the game, recently appreciated the captain of the Blues. Lately, we have regularly seen participants in mauls and rucks catching the hands of the number 9, so this was more than the limit with regard to the rule. For me, these are good measures which will allow rugby in general to progress, to be more pleasant to watch.” Be careful, however, for the latter, not to fall into overplaying, his little guilty pleasure since his return from the Olympics, which can sometimes have a tendency to “contaminate” his partners…
