The RFU keeping the head coach is allowing France and Ireland to kick on past ‘new England’, as the Six Nations showedJust occasionally in sport the scoreboard becomes a side issue. For everyone in Paris on Saturday night, particularly those from across the Channel, what will really stick in the mind is the overriding post-match mood of genuine Gallic excitement. As France’s euphoric supporters celebrated their team’s deserved grand slam it was hard not to envisage many more champagne moments ahead.It was also a tantalising amuse bouche for what awaits when France host next year’s World Cup. Gazing into the future is never an exact science but Les Bleus appear to have an impressive number of bases covered. A young...
Fabien Galthié’s Six Nations grand slam winners have escaped the burdens of predecessors and won the hearts of the publicA little after 11pm at a euphoric sweat-sodden Stade de France, the lights finally went out on this remarkable French side. The stadium was plunged into darkness, fireworks danced across the Paris sky and in the stands 75,000 fans danced with them. Through the pitch-black night, Antoine Dupont and his teammates peered upwards to enjoy the spectacle. The song playing over the speakers was Freed From Desire, and after 12 long years France have finally been freed from theirs.It was brutal and it was draining and perhaps we should have expected nothing less. France’s grand slam was not just a victory...
The gap between the teams was 12 points but it was far wider in reality with the grand slam winners in complete commandYou could measure the gap between England and France by the 12 points difference on the scoreboard. Or you could measure it by the inches between Ben Youngs’ outstretched hand and Antoine Dupont’s shorts as Youngs launched himself headfirst into a futile dive after the best player in the world and tried to drag him back as he cut England apart. You could measure it in the feet England were shoved backwards at the scrum just before half-time where they conceded yet another set-piece penalty, or you could measure it by the acres of space France found out...
The hosts are on the brink of winning the grand slam but Eddie Jones’s team need to go back to basics and get a resultIf you look at the England team Eddie Jones has picked to face France, it does not take an expert to work out that the ball is going to see a lot of air time on Saturday. What fascinates me, however, is how different both sides’ approaches are to kicking and whichever side can impose their particular style will go a long way towards winning the contest.Jones has picked George Furbank at full-back, which may have come as a surprise to some because he had a difficult time on his debut at the Stade de France...
Grand slam-chasers have a serious claim to have the upper hand on Les Bleus teams from 1977, 1998 and 2004It is only three years ago, having just watched France throw away a 16-0 interval lead to Wales in Paris, that the former Les Bleus flanker and multiple grand slam winner Olivier Magne delivered a few home truths. “We won’t win anything with the current generation,” he hissed. “When I hear some players after games, it’s never their fault. At the first hitch, they collapse psychologically. This generation has been associated with defeat for too long … they are deeply traumatised.”Magne, we now know, was two-thirds right. France’s national team did indeed require a new broom but, ultimately, the key has...