They thought they would go from the peaks of Aoraki-Mount Cook (3,724 m) to the more modest Cerro Catedral (514 m). Six days after reaching the summits against New Zealand, for the opening match of the World Cup, the XV of France painfully climbed the Uruguayan mid-mountains on Thursday September 14. In a crowded Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq (North), the teammates of Anthony Jelonch, captain for one evening on his return from injury, took stock of the 17e world nation (27-12). If they have a second success in a row in “their” World Cup, the Blues lacked control against the valiant Uruguayans, and failed to win the offensive bonus.
“The most important thing was the victory”observed coach Fabien Galthié after the meeting, mentioning the “frustration” among its players. “We are not here to demonstrate or produce a clean copy, but to win. » Never in control, often to a fault, but victorious all the same, the Blues untangled themselves from “Uruguayan trap”, as third row Sekou Macalou said, at the end of a choppy game – 15 penalties conceded for France, 16 for Uruguay. A little surprise, over the past four years, this team has become accustomed to being clinical.
With twelve changes in the starting XV, the French staff had largely reshuffled their team for this second match of the competition. And made up a composite French XV, made up of usual “finishers” (replacements), returners and young shoots, without much experience together. ” A lot [des Uruguayens] are playing [ensemble] in Peñarol, so they have collective experience, more than us ultimately”, observed hooker Pierre Bourgarit on Wednesday. And certain lacks of automation seemed glaring.
“Not a successful match”
In view of the lackluster game offered by the XV of France, it is not said that the players lined up scored points in the battle for the folding seats in the important matches – with the possible exception of the third row Sekou Macalou. “When you reshuffle the team, everyone wants to show themselves, and sometimes we forget the teamrecognized the pillar Sipili Falatea. There was too much energy, too much desire, and a lack of lucidity, and at times, we wanted to overplay alone. » Even more so in the face of a supposedly weaker team, even though everyone insisted on “don’t look down on Uruguay”.
As against the All Blacks, the first try of the match was quickly conceded by the Blues. “We expect them to put a lot of activity and energy at the start of the match”, exposed the Arthur Vincent center on Wednesday. After six minutes of play, the try from winger Nicolas Freitas, following a nice opening at the foot, confirmed it. If Antoine Hastoy quickly responded, putting the French back in front, the South American players manhandled the French forwards, relying, as Pierre Bourgarit expected, “on the fundamentals of our sport: conquest, scrum, touch and carried balls”. And the “big work ahead” that the La Rochelle hooker anticipated turned into a messy game for the French pack – and the entire team.
You have 51.06% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.