A well-constructed success, an effective conquest, an offensive animation which is refined and “finishers” who finish better, these are the lessons of the victory of the XV of France against Fiji (34-17).
A rise in power
First, an observation. At no time, the XV of France, with a mixed composition mixing executives premium and players having to convince, was really put in danger. On the contrary. Globally, France built its victory well, on a simple and above all effective basis. The rear Melvyn Jaminet allowed the Blues to take, at first, the advantage in the score thanks to the precision and the power of his kick (7/8).
No doubt the Blues needed reassurance after a complicated week marked by the injuries of Romain Ntamack and Cyril Baille. They did it. And then, they have mastered the fundamentals of this game well: conquest, defense and occupation. “We are gaining momentum, recognized coach Fabien Galthié. We have gone from training to competition, with different teams, different profiles of opponents, it is perfect for preparing us and improving our skills, both the players and us as staff, with decisions to be made.”
The third line François Cros underlines the progress of the XV of France, in particular on the constancy. And he evokes the announcement of the list of 33 players selected for the World Cup which will make people disappointed this Monday…https://t.co/KCVXiXU6sJ
— RUGBYRAMA (@RugbyramaFR) August 20, 2023
A constant XV of France over 80 minutes
It was one of the points of improvement desired by coach Fabien Galthié. Until then, the Blues had experienced air holes in the first two meetings. Again, this was not the case in Nantes. “We were coming out of two matches where we hadn’t necessarily been good for 80 minutes, we had small air holes where we took a lot of points, confessed scrum half Maxime Lucu. We really wanted to play a match strong.” As in terms of the game, the physical preparation, which should lead the Blues to a peak of form for the opening match on September 8 against New Zealand, is undoubtedly beginning to bear its first fruits.
Rather satisfied with the general performance of his team, highlighting in passing the performance of certain players like Jaminet or Mauvaka, Fabien Galthié also mentioned the next 24 hours which will lead him to “amputate” his group.https://t.co/IvVRaH0OSo
— RUGBYRAMA (@RugbyramaFR) August 20, 2023
An effective conquest
Both in melee and in touch, the Blues ensured on the fundamentals. The front line Wardi-Mauvaka-Atonio quickly took the lead in the closed scrum clash. In touch, Dylan Cretin reigned, stealing two balls in the first period on an opposing throw. Same tone in the ground fight. “France put us under pressure in the rucks,” admitted Fijian coach Simon Raiwalui. Danty was excellent in midfield.” The latter has in particular “disputed” three balloons.
A refined offensive animation
Laurent Labit had warned before this meeting, the attack coach wanted to see his team accelerate its development in terms of offensive animation. With a team “mixed”, no doubt the former manager of Racing 92 was able to perceive an evolution compared to the first two outings. First, the strategy, which consisted of using the small perimeter and exploiting the closed sides, so as not to expose themselves to a team that guzzles recovery balls in large spaces, was respected.
The XV of France beat Fiji for its third preparation match. Jonathan Danty, the La Rochelle center, performed well. If there were any doubts about his level of play, number 12 put an end to it.https://t.co/fEeKVJyqoO
— RUGBYRAMA (@RugbyramaFR) August 20, 2023
Then, even if the fly half Antoine Hastoy contented himself with “pass the dishes”he did it diligently. “He was the image of the team, said the coach. He found the right tempo very quickly, was very fair in the animation.” And to add, more generally: “There is still work, points for improvement. But some details have been added in our possession game in a very effective way. Then, on the pure game launches, it’s true, we can still really improve.” The last preparation match, next Sunday, against Australia will probably bring new answers to the remaining questions.
The “finishers” did the job
Coach Fabien Galthié was moved by this: in recent matches, the “finishers” had disappointed, not bringing the second wind that is expected of them to end the match. Against Fiji, this was not the case. “I wanted to congratulate the “Finishers”, to also salute the captain Gregory Alldritt. When those who enter bring such an impact, it feels good, it brings energy to those who are tired and it totally revives the match.”
Sékou Macalou particularly distinguished himself. Seven minutes after coming on, he allowed his team to put a hole in the scoreboard after intercepting a pass from the Fijian scrum-half. Serin brought speed and desire. Bastien Chalureau, Thibaud Flament displayed the same tone. On the other hand, Thomas Laclayat and Jean-Baptiste Gros sometimes showed themselves in difficulty in closed scrum.