At the Stade de France,

Do you know the XV of France which starts with thunder and ends on the kneecaps?

Forget and make way for the XV of France which always starts with thunder, which has a big slack in the middle, but which finds pep to finish.

The victory against Ireland on the second day of the tournament looked like the little twin of that against the Blacks in November.

First an incredible start to mark his territory, ten points in five minutes on all-star game actions, a principle summed up by Baille as follows: "Attacking the match as best as possible and validating our highlights is our strength and is good for confidence”.

Same scenario as against the Blacks

As in the fall, against the only other team to have beaten the Blacks, the Blues are doing some kindling of the science of Irish ruck, 22-7 just after half-time, we say to ourselves that it rolls on its own until at the blow of bamboo, just like against the Neo-Z.

Two stupid actions, finally a badly negotiated dismissal and an Irish penalty settled like music paper, and a penalty whistled against Villière frankly harsh which leads a minute later to a breakthrough full field of Gibson Park, and the Blues have squandered all their cleverly built brick after brick in less than five minutes shower and shave included.

Antoine Dupont calls it a "small air hole to correct without which we could have had a very quiet end to the match", his teammate Cyril Baille "a black spot to correct".

Very good.

The Irish, however, did not fail to be discreetly surprised to have returned to a match that they could only see through binoculars.

“At 22-7 against us, many thought it was over, testified Andy Farrell, the manager of Clover.

However, we came back, it shows all the determination of the guys and their character.

As well as the small weaknesses of the XV of France, dare we add.

Because not knowing how to push an opponent who asks for mercy is one of them, even if Fabien Galthié invites us to consider the work as a whole: at this level of competition, we do not martyr anyone from the first to the last minute,

“Against these teams you have to accept having weak times and limit their sometimes violent impact.

It happened against the Blacks, it happened against Ireland, but we managed to regain control a bit like in the fall, with the same organization of our team over the last 30 minutes, this coaching with six forwards which is a gamble but worked.

Beyond the victory which is very very positive, there is also the collective experience which is unlocked in matches like that, a kind of confidence which permeates the team”.

“Our strength in knowing how to stay cool in these moments”

The manager of the Blues touches here a sensitive point.

Even in its air holes, the French team never seems completely thrown off balance, the proof, this test of Baille all in successive percussions at 22-21 to demonstrate to the big fellows opposite that the tank was not still dry.

There is the idea that it's all part of a match, and that you shouldn't panic in the event of a comeback like a few years ago, when the litany of defeats did not allow the culture to be transmitted to the group. collective enough to maintain an unlosable lead.

It's François Cros who explains it best in his own way: “We didn't really doubt, even if it's never good to take so many points so quickly.

Telling ourselves that these are trials that come from our own mistakes, that may have allowed us to remain calm, to say simple things to reassure everyone.

It is also the strength of the group to know how to stay cold in hot moments”.

Suffice to say that we are not at all at this degree of bouddesque zenitude in the press gallery, but we will have to live with it.

In this tournament, and with our Blues, it will be the shakes until the siren every time.

Sport

Why this Six Nations tournament must no longer escape France

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The Blues can still dream of the Grand Slam, relive their magical victory against Ireland (30-24)

  • Romain Ntamack

  • 6 Nations

  • Fabien Galthie

  • Antoine Dupont

  • Ireland

  • XV of France

  • Sport

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