Edinburgh (AFP)

Confirmation expected: launched in his preparation for the World Cup with a promising success against Scotland in Nice (32-3), the XV of France found the XV thorn, better equipped and revenge, Saturday (14:10 French) in Edinburgh .

This second warm-up, before a last against Italy on August 30 at the Stade de France, will tell a little more about the progress of the recovery of the Blues on the road to Japan (September 20-November 2) .

And what value to give, a posteriori, carnival preview in Nice. Solid defense, pragmatism in camp outings, precise races and placements, multiple solutions in attack: for their return to business after a disturbing Six Nations tournament, they seemed transfigured. And in legs, able to withstand long sequences.

"A renewal is perhaps a big word, there have been improvements, changes in our game." "There is more precision, what we lacked lately," relativized the scrum half Antoine Dupont .

Difficult not to associate this improvement to the arrival in the frame of Fabien Galthié, accompanied by his physical trainer Thibault Giroud. But how connected are they?

"Of course he brought new ideas, it shows. (...) But we are more precise because we have more time (to work, ed)," says Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, coach of the back.

- Outside night -

Anyway, this progress posted Saturday will tell Murrayfield.

Where the French remain on two defeats, the last (February 2018) followed by the famous "night out", and where the Scots await them firmly, having changed fourteen of their fifteen holders: only the back Stuart Hogg has retained his place in the starting XV, where several executives come back, whose hinge Greig Laidlaw - Finn Russell.

After this meeting, we will know more: the Blues have too often taken the feet in the carpet after a good performance not to be vigilant. Especially outside, where, except in Italy, they have signed only one victory since the World Cup-2015, in June 2016 in Argentina ...

Dupont just summoned the memory of another match won against the Pumas, last November in Lille (28-13), to call for vigilance: "Everyone praised us, behind you lose against Fiji (21- 14) and we fall back to the bottom of the hole, so I hope we have grown up and learned from these experiences, so do not relax and maintain a constant level. "

And win, to continue to garner certainty to address in the best conditions the "chicken of death" in Japan (Argentina, England, United States and Tonga). "Chaining a win is important for the team's confidence and dynamics," says Felix Lambey.

- "A little pressure" -

This need for success and automatism pushed the staff to renew to three-quarters the winners of Nice, since only four players appear in the starting team (Captain Guilhem Guirado, Lambey, Arthur Iturria in the 3rd line and the back Thomas Ramos).

They will to varying degrees "a little pressure", according to Lambey, to rise to the level of their predecessors. Whether for a place holder or to validate their presence in the list, which will be reduced from 37 to 31 names on September 2nd.

We think in particular of Iturria and Yacouba Camara (substitute), after the reservists Charles Ollivon and François Cros shone in Nice, or Ramos, who can assert himself as scorer N.1 and thus score points against Maxime Médard, his competitor at the post. And finally at the center Sofiane Guitoune, substitute at the last minute of Wesley Fofana, Friday package (thigh) and has an unexpected opportunity to be nearly four years after his last cape.

Renewed players will also be carefully scrutinized, such as Ollivon, N.8 Grégory Alldritt, or Alivereti Raka on his wing.

As well as the hinge Dupont-Lopez, that the frame seems to want to install. Saturday, shortly after 16:00, we will see more clearly.

© 2019 AFP