The image of a piece flicking through the air, spinning, spinning, before slowing down in one direction or the other is often used in sports. And given the way in which the French rugby team overturned Wales on Saturday, March 20 at the Stade de France (32-30), she could describe this breathless end of the game. “It’s not a coin thrown in the air that falls on the right side, slice Charles Ollivon, euphoric French captain. The victory, we went to seek it, in the mind. We weren’t given anything. “ Thanks to a last try, the fourth, gleaned from stoppage time, his team arrogated to forceps the right to play a second final in the Six Nations Tournament, Friday March 26, against Scotland . Because they won the first one.
In one of the stories of Mabinogion, medieval tales written in old Welsh, King Lludd gets rid of the three plagues which set his country to fire and blood by managing to lock up in the center of the island of Brittany the two dragons who, waging a merciless war, provoke disasters. Transformed into Red Dragon hunters for an evening, Charles Ollivon’s teammates did not act differently. After closing “The Covid episode” who hit the Blues, digested their short defeat in England (20-23), the Blues locked the Welsh Dragons in their regrets. The XV du Poireau leaves Paris “Numb”, expressed their coach Wayne Pivac. Without the grand slam he could conquer, and knowing that a 21 point victory for the Blues against Scotland will deprive them of winning the Tournament.
But the road was long. And before “Overthrow the mountain” to dive into “A pool of happiness”, as Fabien Galthié turned it, the XV of France lived a breathless evening. A boxing final where the opponents spare no blow. And from the kick-off, the game went up in the towers.
The Welsh start off as “starved to death”
Even warned, the Blues suffered the red waves. “They hurt us. Wales produced their best game, they were starved to death ”, noted Gaël Fickou. Dominators in the impacts – to the point that Romain Taofifenua and Matthieu Jalibert, injured during shocks, were forced to leave their partners – the teammates of the indestructible captain Alun Wyn Jones had the grand slam in their sights. And presented a completely different face than during their last visit to Saint-Denis, in the fall. Despite the opening of the mark by Taofifenua from the first French foray into their 22 meters, the Welsh did not intend to let the pace of this “final” dictate. And pounded the French rear guard with constancy.
Advancing with each impact, remarkably stable in melee, Dan Biggar’s teammates mistreated the Blues, happy to stay in contact at the break (17-17). But if they bowed their spine, and seemed several times on the verge of breaking, the Blues never let the Welsh really escape. A hand placed under a test ball, scrawled points and a succession of referees’ decisions allowed them to keep in touch.
In a second half as choppy as the first was taken away, Luke Pearce, the referee of the meeting, drew the light for a long time. “It was a special match, I had never experienced that”, expressed third line Anthony Jellonch after the meeting. Three tries refused – one Welsh, then two French -, and a shovel of cards: two yellow side Welsh in the last ten minutes, and one for Mohamed Haouas, and an expulsion from the Blues. For a finger in the eye of the pillar Wyn Jones, Paul Willemse left his partners with twelve minutes from the end. A severe sanction, according to Fabien Galthié: “We see the way the Welshman, whose team specializes in the opposing red card, plays the contact. “
Les Bleus write their own story
Led, but again attack, the Blues pushed. “It was badly embarked, six minutes from the end, we were still behind by ten points, but we went to get that with the guts”, exclaimed Anthony Jellonch. Gathered around their captain, who urged them to “Believe it to the end”, the Blues have written their own history. And forced the Welsh to recap the champagne. A powerful first attempt by Charles Ollivon paved the way for a hellish final straight (27-30, 77e). Five minutes later, Brice Dulin in turn escaped his opponent to crucify the Welsh after the siren. “It was one attack too many. It was hard to defend at this point in the game, and our discipline didn’t help us in the last ten minutes ”, regretted Wayne Pivac. He who defines his men as masters of “Hunt for lost causes” found someone to talk to. “The team believed in its star, in its destiny, greeted Fabien Galthié. Today they have gone to draw very, very far for what they have in them, to put it on the ground. “
And when the gong rang, the Blues celebrated their victory. “The Welsh are good boxers, except they stopped after the eleventh round, they left us the twelfth, savored Galthié. And the team that continued to box in the twelfth round went for the win. “
What an INCREDIBLE end of meeting! Brice Dulin scored the offensive bonus test and offered victory to the Tricolos… https://t.co/3W85lxqBCT
How sad, an empty stadium. When a match becomes tense, when the faces are distorted with the effort, and when the cries of the substitutes are pale echoes of the groans of the players. Only the wind, Saturday, responded to the howls of joy from Brice Dulin’s teammates after the blue elf, in stoppage time, flattened the fourth French try, synonymous with victory on the wire, an offensive bonus point, and hope of final coronation. An empty flying saucer, the Stade de France was not responding. If the Covid-19 has deprived us, for a year, of the shared pleasure of a pitching stadium, the pandemic has not overcome the suspense. “You have to know how to savor these moments, even if you were in an empty stadium, expressed Arthur Vincent, already screened for the next match. A huge challenge that presents itself to us, with perhaps something fabulous at the end. ” After playing with fire, felt the breath of the Dragons on his spine, before finally playing with the treasure of the Welsh, this XV of France proved on Saturday that he deserves to hope.
The state of play after 5⃣ days minus the famous #FRAvSCO match next week. Will he change everything? … https://t.co/J69v5AEHFb
