To say that we should talk about the game. After two away victories (in Italy and Ireland), a dashing XV of France pawed at the idea of prolonging his cavalcade towards a possible first Grand Slam in the Tournament of six nations for eleven years. Like the sky on the day of the first meeting of the competition, in Rome on February 6, the morale of the Blues was high.
But, for ten days, clouds have accumulated above the National Rugby Center (CNR) of Marcoussis (Essonne). The British variant of Covid-19 has invited to the party, contributing to the development of a cluster in this place where the French team gathers between matches. The revelation, Thursday, February 25, of a sixteenth official case of contamination within the XV of France – the Rochelais pillar Uini Atonio – will have been one too many.
The Six Nations test monitoring group unanimously recommended the postponement of the France-Scotland match, originally scheduled for Sunday. An unforeseen rebound, twenty-four hours after the green light given to the holding of the meeting, given the “Zero risk of contamination” after two days in a row of negative controls in the French camp.
In isolation, the Blues, deprived of twelve players – including captain Charles Ollivon and playing master Antoine Dupont – and several members of the staff – including coach Fabien Galthié -, have the leisure to wonder: how the sanitary bubble erected around them gave way?
Malaise in Marcoussis
On Monday, Serge Simon, the “Covid manager” of the Blues and vice-president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), announced in the columns of Olympic Midi his certainty that the “Patient zero” of the team was one of the physical trainers, the first proven case of Covid-19. While expressing his uncertainty as to the origin of his contamination.
His words caused a certain unease and a stir in Marcoussis. If the physical trainer seems to have respected the protocol in place, not all seem to be able to say the same. Starting with Fabien Galthié.
Tuesday, L’Equipe exposed that the coach of the Blues – one of the first two positive cases announced on Tuesday, February 16 – would have pierced the health bubble protecting Marcoussis during the week preceding the match in Ireland, violating the protocol negotiated with the ministry sports to ensure the holding of the Tournament.
If Fabien Galthié refuted these “Unjustified accusations”, several media confirmed in the week the information of the sports daily. “We have no reason to overwhelm Fabien within the framework. We do not have the skills to confirm the origin of the contamination ”, defended it, Thursday evening, Raphaël Ibanez, the manager of the Blues.
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