The French rugby team begins Wednesday in Nice the final phase of its preparation for the World Cup, which begins next month in Japan. She will play on Saturday against Scotland to test and validate the choice of a titanic physical work in recent weeks.
"At 9pm, we just wanted to sleep"
Admittedly, the 37 players of the XV of France had never experienced a preparation so grueling. Last week in Spain, the internationals clearly did not have time to build castles. They chained sessions of a crazy intensity under a blazing sun. "In the evening at 9 pm, we just wanted to sleep so much we were tired," says one of them.
" The French team has shown that it is able to recover, to figure well and to go far, even in difficult times "The goal of this commando mission that will continue in Nice is to make up for the physical backwardness of the nations of the southern hemisphere, and thus reverse a catastrophic spiral for the Blues, who lost two out of every three matches on average. month.
"We will have our say," predicts Brunel
Their confidence is in tatters, but the coach Jacques Brunel refuses to abdicate: "The team of France showed that it was able to recover, to figure well and to go far, even in difficult times. believe this team and our ability to create a favorable environment, I think we will have our say, "predicts the coach.
Alone at the helm during the disturbing Six Nations Tournament, Jacques Brunel was joined by Fabien Galthié for this World Cup. The former coach of Montpellier and Toulon will also be his successor in the fall. The one who was the emblematic half-melee of the Blues has already put his leg on the methods and game identity of a XV of France who intends to wake up in the land of the Rising Sun.