• With a B or C team, the XV of France held high for the Australians on tour.

    But she lost two more games in the dying moments.

  • The November test matches, in particular the clash against New Zealand, will allow us to learn more about the real level of a team regularly upset by the specificities of French rugby and the health crisis.

An exciting game, an incredible pool in which you just have to dip your hand to fish for a talented opener or 3rd line and, as a result, compliments that are raining down from all over the world. Since the start of the Fabien Galthié era, during the 2020 VI Nations Tournament, the XV of France is no longer the sick man of the oval, who had slipped to a pitiful 10th place in the world in 2018 and then in 2019. Unheard of in a discipline where the planetary elite is historically tight.

No more draws against Japan or losses against Fiji. The tour in Australia further proved that with the 3rd or even 4th choice (not to say more in certain positions), the French team, now fifth in the World Rugby standings, could compete. "She is once again among the best in the world," asserts the coach, his torso bulging, in an interview with AFP. For two years, she won in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Australia, and when she lost in England it was on the last action. We were called "the sleeping giant", this is no longer the case. "

🔥 After this summer tour, #XVdeFrance will be back in November for 3 new matches against Argentina, Georgia and @AllBlacks!

🇦🇷🇬🇪🇳🇿



There are still tickets left if you want to come and cheer them on!

👉 https://t.co/wmcNfTrFdP pic.twitter.com/gN2fvwhvdj

- France Rugby (@FranceRugby) July 17, 2021

But it is not yet "the giant who wins".

The last title of the Blues dates back to the 2010 Tournament, concluded on a Grand Slam with the Servat (now deputy of Galthié), Dusautoir, Harinordoquy and Jauzion, now all dashing quadras.

Launched in his quest for a first World Cup to win at home, in a little over two years, the XV of France has not yet finished with the famous encouraging defeats.

A question of experience?

In Australia, he capsized in the dying moments of the first and third tests, with a historic forceps victory in the middle, the first in 31 years. In 19 games played since the 2019 World Cup, there are six defeats, including five in the "money time", as we do not say in Gaillac or Vic-Fezensac. Questioned by

20 Minutes

, Yann Delaigue highlights “inexperience” to explain these recurring endings of matches in blood sausage.

“On the first Tournament, it is played for nothing with England, explains the ex-opener or international center. Our team is inexperienced at this time. Then for the Autumn Cup, due to the obligations in relation to the NRL, we do not send the most competitive team to Twickenham in the final and despite that, it goes into overtime [loss, 22-19]. It is still a question of inexperience. The Tournament this year has been very bizarre with the Covid but it's still a good competition, even if we are perhaps missing the mark [defeats in the last moments against Scotland and then England]. Finally, we think we are going “naked” in Australia, and finally we compete thoroughly, once again with a lot of young people. "

The "little Mozart", champion of France 1992 with Toulon, at barely 19 years old, is resolutely optimistic and convinced that the Blues will benefit "from the autumn" of the lessons ingested so far.

If injuries, unwanted but essential companions of rugby players, do not interfere too much, Galthié will be able to count against Argentina, Georgia and New Zealand on the return of these managers spared this summer: from Dulin to Baille via Fickou, Vakatawa, Aldritt, Ntamack, Jalibert or Marchand.

The Covid disturbs the world hierarchy

He "lacked 35 players" at the antipodes, observes the coach, not insensitive to the performance of "Captain" Jelonch, Jaminet, Barlot, Woki, Danty and others during this campaign under a sanitary bubble on the other side of the globe.

The Blues will also have to improve in the discipline, one of the black spots of the recent tour, before the crucial meeting of 2023 to hope to compete with the world champions Springboks and the stainless All Blacks.

"With the Covid, it's difficult to draw up an inventory of world rugby," says Yann Delaigue.

Before hosting the British Lions, South Africa has not played since the 2019 World Cup. New Zealand seems a bit above everyone.

"

Golden youth

With a golden youth, U20 world champion in 2018 and 2019, all hopes finally seem possible after a decade of 2010 that the French supporters have spent moaning of pain and shame in front of their TV, their cockerel hat over their eyes.

Even if some positions (2nd row especially, wingers at a pinch) seem less provided than all the others ... The match against the Blacks on November 20 at the Stade de France should serve as a real revealer, less than a year from the reunion in hens at the World Cup.

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