Any artist will tell you, when you start a show, it is important to take care of your entrance. Large winners of Italy, Sunday February 6 at the Stade de France, for their debut in the Six Nations Tournament (37-10), the Blues of rugby have fulfilled the mission they had set themselves. But despite five tries scored – and a bonus point picked up – the performance of the XV of France, long feverish, does not dispel all doubts six days before facing Ireland, who impressed on Saturday against the Welsh defending champions (29-7 victory).
“There is a feeling of incompleteness, notes French defender Melvyn Jaminet. We made a lot of mistakes, and we had trouble putting our game in place. » Opposed to a voluntary transalpine team, but landing in Saint-Denis weighed down by thirty-two defeats in a row in the Tournament, the partners of captain Antoine Dupont coughed in the first period. Was it due to the rain at the beginning of February, to remnants of Covid-19 in the bodies of several of their players, or to the absence of their coach, Fabien Galthié, who tested positive for SARS-Cov-2 on Friday?
Clumsy, often penalized (14 penalties in total) and at times giving the impression of a pale copy of the supercharged team that dominated the All Blacks on the same lawn at the end of November (40-25), the French suffered in start of the game. Under the Dionysian drizzle, the Italians were quick to take advantage of the windfall. Having affirmed, through their captain, Michele Lamaro, their desire to “change the image a bit” of their team, the eternal donkey cap of the Tournament, the Transalpins struck first, their winger Tommaso Menoncello becoming, at 19 years and 170 days, the youngest test scorer in the history of the Tournament.
Italy falls back into its ways
However, the Blues did not sin out of pride. Before the meeting, everyone warned of the importance of taking seriously a Squadra Azzurra having started a new cycle. “In the locker room, before the game, we thought it might be one of the toughest halves of the tournament, and it turned out to be true., exposes the third line Gregory Alldritt. The conditions were difficult, and we knew that Italy was going to be very physical. » Once again author of a major performance in the blue jersey, the player from La Rochelle thinks that his team needed that to launch his tournament. “It was this half that allowed us to win the match. »
After a preparation disrupted by the pandemic – several executives, including captain Antoine Dupont, were deprived of the first week of preparation – the XV of France often seemed to be running in. But the Blues did not fail to press the accelerator when their opponent fell back into his ways. “We made mistakes at crucial moments in the game”, regrets Michele Lamaro. Hitherto remarkable for commitment and consistency, the Transalpins lost track of the game at the end of the first period.
First by a messed up ball in his camp by their scrum half, Stephen Varney, which seized an Anthony Jelonch very happy to slip into the in-goal. Then, a few seconds before the siren, when a penalty conceded by Italy allowed the Blues to deploy their game, and winger Gabin Villière to register his first try of the game. “This penalty ten seconds from halftime… We were leading until then, and then we went to the locker room being behind at the mark, and it’s not the same story anymore”, laments the captain of the Squadra Azzurra.
A hat-trick from winger Gabin Villière
In the second half, the Blues – who played in white – closed ranks. Failing to dispel all doubts, they tracked down the offensive bonus. Pounding Italy in the heart of the game, Gregory Alldritt’s teammates opened up spaces on the wings. With Gabin Villière – author of a hat-trick – as the main artificer to sow discord in the transalpine rearguard, the French have widened the gap. And deprived their adversaries of any ammunition: “In the second half, we never had the ball. The French defense was excellent, and we were unable to play our game., notes the coach of the Italians, Kieran Crowley.
Once recorded the fourth try (synonymous with offensive bonus), the Blues did not interrupt their efforts. “It was already important to have the offensive bonus, and once we had it, we had to go get another try, because at the end of the Tournament, it can be important”, blows the captain, Antoine Dupont. For two years, his team has been vaccinated to find out.
Twice second in the Tournament, the XV of France could not claim the title because of a lower point average each time. “We will try to win with a big margin, because we know the tricks it has played on us in previous tournaments”, warned the captain of the French defense, Gaël Fickou, this week. In the fall, Fabien Galthié had insisted on the need to complete the meetings with a bang. As a good student, Gabin Villière, again, appeared in the dying seconds to complete the mark.
“Raise the bar a notch”
“You have to be satisfied with the result. Five points, in complicated conditions, we take”, insists Antoine Dupont. At the head of the Tournament before receiving Ireland, the Blues know that they will have to do better in six days, or risk seeing their dreams of a title in the competition take water. “We are all going to make sure to raise the level a notch”, warns the manager, Raphaël Ibanez.
It will be necessary, because the next exit of the Blues in the Tournament is announced in other spheres. “When you see the Ireland game [contre le Pays de Galles], I’m not sure we’re the big favourites.”, had warned Antoine Dupont before the meeting, as the part of the XV du Clover held the steamroller.
Finally, this appetizer of the Blues in the Tournament looked exactly like what was to be expected. An improved victory, after a big entry into the matter of the Italians, from which it will be difficult to draw lessons. An often messy part, but which turns in the right direction, and allows the Blues to approach the rest of the competition with serenity. “Given the qualities that there are in this team, it is inevitably frustrating, souffle the back Melvyn Jaminet. But it’s the kind of game we needed to get back into the swing of things. »
Who wants to travel far takes care of his mount, and the Blues keep in mind their main objective: the 2023 World Cup, played at home. “The score is there, but we still have work to do”, summarizes Gabin Villière, interviewed on France 2. Having taken care of their figures, failing to offer a score without false note, the Blues have already moved on. For Italy, the refrain begins to hold the broken record. With a thirty-third defeat in a row in the Tournament, the La Botte team has not been unworthy, but it continues its ordeal.