Nice (AFP)

"Against ruck", "Get out of tackles!", "Attack the legs!" Orders are flowing, in French, on the lawn of the small Arboras stadium in Nice. They come from Shaun Edwards, the demanding English defense coach of the XV of France. A legend in Great Britain that the Blues discover.

The 53-year-old little bald man who is restless on the shores of the Mediterranean, surrounded by giants in blue, is a world reference. Known as the father of 'rush defense', made of fast and aggressive defensive climbs, which revolutionized modern rugby. He put theory into practice at Wasps in the early 2000s, but above all allowed the Welsh to win four Tournaments from six nations (2008, 2012, 2013, 2019).

A coach renowned for his intransigence; able to overwhelm a player for a single missed tackle.

"I ask the players to be at their best," he told AFP. "If there is one thing you do not want, it is to say to you 'oh if I had trained more, if I had been more professional, if I had been more disciplined ...' This are internationals, top athletes. "

During his appointment, Fabien Galthié had promised to "move" his Blues. Just to see the mines of the players of the XV of France after a session with Edwards, the objective is achieved. But the French seem convinced.

"What I really like about him is that we see that he is someone who is straight: he speaks from the heart. We need this defense. We were very good in this sector (during of the World Cup) in Japan, I think, it is the one in which we have progressed the most but it brings us other weapons. You will see which ones on the field ", advance Gaël Fickou, named captain of the defense by Edwards himself.

"But with his techniques and his tactics, we will still progress in defense, take a step forward. He puts a lot of heart into it, a lot of desire and, for the moment, it's going very well. He will really bring us", continues the center of the French stadium.

- Intransigence -

Former international rugby league, he is not the talkative type but he obviously knows how to get the message out. "The boys have a good attitude. We did some precise exercises and quickly they managed to improve certain aspects of our defense. We have to continue like this," says Edwards, who calls for physical condition and coordination flawless collective.

Edwards has his own idea of ​​what the Blues, who have not won the Tournament for ten years, need to improve. "What France must now succeed in doing is getting into the habit of winning close matches," he points out. "Rugby is a physical sport but it is also a tactical sport. You have to have a rugby body but also a rugby brain. It is very difficult to defend these days. There has never been so much marked trials ... You have teams with thirty or forty players, the rules have been changed and it's difficult to defend over long periods. In 2008, Wales won the tournament by cashing only two tries during the whole competition. Now it's hard not to concede more than two tries in a single match! "

Easier said than done when facing England, its aggressive and rough pack, its supersonic wingers and its talented striker. But the native of Wigan, between Manchester and Liverpool, will not make feelings. It is not his type anyway.

"A particular match? No, why? If you look at the England staff, there is only one Englishman, Simon Amor (assistant in charge of the attack). That's all," slips- there.

"It's a Six Nations match and all the matches are special in the Six Nations. The Tournament, for me, is the best of competitions. All the matches are intense, passionate ... with the proximity of the countries, the supporters ... For me, it's fantastic. France-England is a rivalry that has been going on for years. It's a big game. "

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