The big meeting is fast approaching. The Blues, who were able to cut one last time on Thursday before diving in for good, have only two days left to prepare before facing South Africa on Sunday. An important milestone comes this Friday with the announcement of the composition of the two teams. So, with or without Antoine Dupont on the French side?
D-day for the composition
With, of course! In any case, this is the (very) strong trend given the training week. Toto has not left the blue chasuble of the holders and, if he has not forced the contacts, the captain is doing like a charm, his coaches and teammates have continued to assure him. “He is doing very well and actively participated in all training, videos, everything related to the game of the France team,” William Servat said on Wednesday. So let’s take a look back at this quarter, exactly 23 days after his operation for a maxillo-zygomatic fracture. Alongside the helmeted scrum half, we take the same ones as against Italy and we start again.
The probable XV : Ramos – Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Bielle-Biarrey – Jalibert, Dupont – Ollivon, Alldritt, Jelonch – Flament, Woki – Atonio, Mauvaka, Baille
Small novelty however, the Blues bench should this time have six forwards for only two and three-quarters. Questioned on this subject, Servat confirmed it half-heartedly when he mentioned “the very dense team with a lot of aggressiveness” which will face them. The Boks are indeed relying on a game that we can soberly describe as “brutal”, and should place seven forwards on the bench. A certain idea of poetry.
Don’t forget to play
It has been said, said again and it will be repeated again during the last two conferences before the battle, Friday and Saturday: a real peak of intensity is to be expected between the two most physical teams on the field . A certainty which should not make us forget that to win, it is also good to play rugby. Attack coach Laurent Labit recalled this this week, highlighting what could have been done better during last November’s clash.
“We had little time to prepare, so we decided to close the game, to take a minimum of risks. We had opportunities to play, we thought the players would take them but they stayed in the patterns. We took that into account this time,” he announced. We can therefore expect a slightly different state of mind from the Blues, even if uncertainty remains. “Will these spaces still be there in the quarter-finals of the World Cup? », asks Labit. Almost a rhetorical question, when we see the tank built opposite.
Notre-Dame for inspiration
The French delegation enjoyed a short outing in Paris on Thursday. On the menu, visit to the construction site of Notre-Dame Cathedral, arranged by the former president of Stade Français Max Guazzini, close to Fabien Galthié. A great favor granted to the Blues, since the site is closed to the public. Players were then free to enjoy the capital if they wished.
Praises from the Springboks
Obligatory passage before a match – well except for Rassie Erasmus, who had succeeded to be derogatory Tuesday – compliments to the opponent were out during the South Africans’ conference on Thursday. Assistant coach Felix Jones did not have words vibrant enough to describe the progress of the Blues under Fabien Galthié. “He managed to establish a fighting mentality like we haven’t seen in a long time. I wasn’t a national team coach at the time, but he came to see us at Munster before taking up his position. We got to know him,” he said, before welcoming the adversity promised by the Blues in a sector that the Boks know well, the famous “fight”:
“It’s a close-knit group, they all play for each other. They never give up, they give everything until the last action. And they have some serious bench depth. Just at the hooker position, Marchand may be absent, and yet they can field two or three top world level guys. »It’s going to hit, and the South Africans can’t wait, too.
Today’s program
South Africa will announce its team composition early on at the Roland-Garros media center (9 a.m., what an idea…). France will do the same at 11:30 a.m. The opportunity, a priori, to meet Antoine Dupont at a press conference. This promises a crowd worthy of Rafa Nadal’s finest talks in the “main interview room” of the Grand Slam tournament. The Blues will then train at 3 p.m. at the Stade de France. Set up two days before the match, and not the day before as usual, because there is a small Ireland – New Zealand match in Saint-Denis on Saturday evening.