Disappointment, disillusionment, waste ... Words are not lacking to describe the defeat of the XV of France on Sunday morning (20-19) against Wales in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. In front of the score during most of the meeting, the Bleus have conceded a fatal test in the 74th, synonymous with elimination. The direct expulsion for bad action of French player Sebastien Vahaamahina, who left his teammates half an hour to 14 against 15, is one of the reasons for the defeat of France. Should we therefore overwhelm the second line of Clermont? Eric Blanc and Raphael Poulain debated the issue Sunday night in Europe 1 Sport.
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Sometimes you have the son who touch (...) He was not assaulted, he was penalized him and the team of France
Described as "stupid" by some journalists, Sebastien Vahaamahina will remember for a long time this bad gesture. Without being so virulent, Eric Blanc does not hide his incomprehension at this gesture. "Sometimes you have the wires touching, he's a professional player, he was not attacked, he's penalized himself and the France team."
Her club partner Camille Lopez defended Vahaamanhina at the end of the match. If the players claim not to blame the player of Clermont, it could be quite different in the coming months: "Of course at the end of such a cruel defeat, the players will protect their comrade but maybe in three or six months, they will recognize that this red card has put them in the difficulty considerably "continues Eric Blanc. Following this gesture, Sébastien Vahaamahina will be heard by an independent disciplinary committee and could incur a heavy suspension.
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Even at fourteen against fifteen, France had 3-4 big chances to miss
However, to look at the face of the match before this expulsion, and even after, France had everything to join the last square of the World Cup. If the meeting was played on details, our consultant Eric Blanc does not say he is really surprised by this defeat. "This is not the first time we do not know how to win a match, and in the second half, the Welsh dominated us, and what I remember is that we did not win. France has had 3-4 great opportunities to miss, "he recalls.
"We lack control," adds our consultant. "The Blacks were able to do it at one time, England with Wilko (Jonny Wilkinson), Ireland with Sexton, the Welsh also beat us in the last minutes," he lists. Raphaël Poulain shares this observation. The former player of the French Stadium judge "this symptomatic defeat of a team that for eight years, struggles to have matches references."
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