Oita (Japan) (AFP)

There is certainly the red card Vahaamahina, but the cruel defeat (20-19) against Wales Sunday in the quarter-finals of the World Cup sanctions four years of wandering that did not allow to erase two months and a half of preparation and reinforcement of the supervision.

"Somehow, it's a failure," admitted Jacques Brunel, just after the match.

The coach, however, had the same hope as his predecessors, saying on June 18 that "the World Cup (remained) a special moment with two months of preparation and two months of competition".

So, the XV of France went to work during the summer. But the elastic finally cracked, in the form of an elbow of Vahaamahina and elimination for a small point.

If the result might have been different without this definitive exclusion, a better-tuned and serene team would probably have held. However, the XV of France had accumulated too little certainty since the sinking against the All Blacks (62-13) in the quarter-finals of the World Cup-2015 to arrive serene and sure of its strength in Japan.

By his results, which provide the necessary confidence: seven wins for twelve defeats before the World Cup since the arrival of Brunel at the end of 2017, including no success against a major nation.

And by its lack of common landmarks: the conquest tricolor, including closed scrimmage, suffered throughout the competition and the Blues were unable to keep the thread of their game during a meeting in full.

- Chronic instability -

Unlike the best nations in the world, England in the lead, who landed swollen insurance and automation, the French have gone through four years of procrastination.

They entered the World Cup with a 3rd line (Lauret-Alldritt-Ollivon) and a pair of centers (Fickou-Vakatawa) who had never played together. And what about the hinge, where 10 different associations were tested in 23 matches ...

Another sign of this chronic instability, 104 players have been called since World-2015 by Jacques Brunel and his predecessor Guy Novès!

The latter was sacked in late 2017 by the president of the Federation Bernard Laporte, whose bet to replace him seems lost, even though the Blues have saved the furniture by avoiding a first road exit before the final phase. Then bowing with the honors against the Welsh.

- "Building on trust" -

Faced with the urgency and the lack of candidates, in high season, the coaching of the XV of France was formed hastily around Brunel, supported by three deputies: one who was not destined to a career of coach (Julien Bonnaire, in charge of the touch), another who had officiated only three seasons in Top 14 (Sébastien Bruno, forwards) and one who had left Stade Toulousain in spring 2017, by mutual agreement, one year from the end of his contract (Jean-Baptiste Elissalde).

In a situation of failure, this supervision was reinforced, at the insistence of Laporte, after the last Six Nations Tournament, by the arrival of the future coach, Fabien Galthié, accompanied by two of his future assistants (Laurent Labit for the back and Thibault Giroud, Director of Performance).

Under their leadership, change of course ... a few months from the deadline! Exit for example the vice-captain Mathieu Bastareaud among other players, since half of the Blues present in Japan were not part of the squad at the Tournament-2018.

Give way to new faces and a more structured and focused game, as well as a new defensive organization. That the Blues have therefore worked only since this summer, with three and a half years behind the best in the world.

"Nobody saw us coming out of the hens, nobody saw us win this quarterfinal, we came out of the pool and showed that we could win this quarter, except we did not do it. is inevitably disappointed, "sums up Brunel.

He leaves ... And leaves a piece of advice: "It will be necessary to try to build a team on confidence, results and consistency, something which has certainly missed us a bit". In hollow, write the counter-history of the period 2015-2019.

© 2019 AFP