Tokyo (AFP)

Already an eighth final: after four years of slump that he hopes to have erased by three months of preparation, the XV of France begins the World Cup in Japan, Saturday (16:15 local, 09:15 French) in Tokyo, by a shock against Argentina decisive for qualification.

Obviously, the coach Jacques Brunel is right when he says that this match will "not be determinant completely". There will be three behind, against the United States (October 2), Tonga (6) and England (12), to leave the well-named "chicken of death" (C).

Even in case of setback Saturday, the Blues will still race to avoid a first road outing, in their history, before the quarterfinals. Four years after being humiliated globally by the All Blacks at this stage (62-13).

But given the sparkling shape of the XV of the Rose, which has thrashed Ireland (57-15) a month ago as the Tricolores in the tournament of the six nations (44-8), we would bet more on a victory against the Pumas. She would open the quarterback door before probably a final for first place against the English.

Conversely, a defeat and the Blues would have three long weeks in front of them to prepare an improbable feat in the "Crunch". Beat these Pumas, in a reissue of the opening match of the 2007 World Cup in France (victory of Argentina), would not be on the other hand not one.

- "We start from scratch" -

The Argentineans remain in effect on a series of nine defeats, including one against France last November in Lille (28-13), where they had arrived probably tired of their long season, with the Jaguars (Super Rugby) then the selection .

"Sincerely it's a thing of the past, do not focus on that, a World Cup, everything is in question, we're starting from scratch, the guys (the Argentineans) are going to transcend and come back to play their life, like we ", sweeps Gaël Fickou.

The Blues must also not, according to Yoann Huget, hold Argentine defeats in the Rugby Championship this summer, including a thrashing at home against South Africa (46-13): "They were in full preparation (for the World Cup), we have to look at what the Jaguars have done all season ". The province of Buenos Aires, which forms 90% of the skeleton of the Pumas, reached at the beginning of July the final of the Super Rugby, the competition of the provinces of the southern hemisphere.

The accounts to zero, really? It is to wish for the XV of France which, since the Mondial-2015, has won only 36% of its matches and has offered a crisis with the replacement at the post of coach Guy Novès by Brunel (end 2017 ).

A second mini-revolution took place after the Tournament-2019, which the Blues ended in tatters: Brunel was added in the staff his ... successor, Fabien Galthié.

- More tests -

With the arrival of the former captain, the singer of mobility and speed, hope is back, sitting on an ad hoc preparation concocted by the new "director of performance" Thibault Giroud, supposed to allow the XV of France to compete with the world's best in Japan. The players believe it, convinced, "in a corner of the head", to be able to lift Webb-Ellis Cup on November 2nd.

They are far from it. The three warm-up games against Scotland (1 win, 1 loss) and Italy (1 win) showed real progress, in defense and in the game in disorder, but also reminded that everything was not settled with a magic wand, mainly attacking.

And where all the candidates for the title approach the competition with a typical team lapped for several years, France attacks with a pair of centers (Fickou-Vakatawa) and a third line (Lauret-Alldritt-Ollivon) unpublished.

As well as with a weakened captain for six months (Guilhem Guirado), and a 20-year-old opener and eight caps (Romain Ntamack) more used to playing center in club. To Ntamack and others to blow a youthful typhoon over Japan.

© 2019 AFP