It was a dress rehearsal. A mid-term test for Fabien Galthié, the coach of the France team, less than two years from the opening match of the 2023 World Cup. It was also, after a long period when the public could not that to appreciate the spectacle from a distance, the reunion with the fervor of the Dionysian stadium.
But it was nothing short of fun. Faced with a valiant Argentine nation, the France team won (29-20), Saturday, November 6 at the Stade de France, suffering during the first period before offering a second act much more exciting. Against aggressive Pumas in defense and in full reconstruction (victims of the disappearance of Super Rugby and the forced exile of all the players in the selection), the XV of France aligned what looked like a typical team, after an end of Six nations tournament disrupted by the pandemic then an Australian summer tour without most of the executives. A fifteen holder who lacked automatisms while the freshness brought by the “Blue finishers” helped win in the second half.
Before the match, Fabien Galthié welcomed the“Emulation” and some “Consistency” of his group. He can, after this first fall match, be satisfied with some of his strong choices, such as the tenures of Anthony Jelonch and Cameron Woki. And especially that of Melvyn Jaminet, man of the match and efficient against the posts (author of nineteen points: five penalties, two transformations).
Aligned from the start for the first time, Romain Ntamack and Matthieu Jalibert had a complicated evening. After this narrow victory, the France team can prepare the reception of Georgia, Sunday, November 14, before rubbing against the All Blacks for the end of the tour, the following Saturday.
The claw of the Pumas
On the lawn of the Stade de France, the first period was hung. The French offensives were quickly contained by a very aggressive Argentine defense. It is the scorer, Melvyn Jaminet, who will take the France team on his shoulders. The back of Perpignan passes two penalties (3e and 19e minutes) to give the advantage to the Blues.
Opposite, the Pumas do not let go. On a counter kick from Matthieu Jalibert, Pablo Matera throws himself on the ball. Tomas Cubelli comes to the support and flattens the first try of the meeting (22e). The transformation of Emiliano Boffelli allows the Argentines to go ahead. Mistreated, the Blues get lost and fall into the trap of the Pumas: Julien Marchand receives a yellow card for a bad gesture, just like Marcos Kremer, quite annoyed after the provocation of the Toulouse hooker.
The rest of the first period will not go down in history. Melvyn Jaminet succeeds a penalty at 50 meters (35e). The Blues are in the lead at half-time (9-7), but have not managed to set up their game.
A tense end of the match, the blue custom
Back from the locker room, the Blues show a more conquering face, despite a penalty marked by Boffelli from the 48e minute. Two minutes later, Thibaud Flament does honor to his first cape in the France team. At the start of a recovery from Damian Penaud, Cameron Woki hits the defense. He hands it over to Matthieu Jalibert, who finds Flament, who runs behind the line. A test transformed by Jaminet, and the Blues lead 16 to 10.
🏉🇫🇷 Thibaud Flament’s essay! The Blues enter their second half perfectly with their first try… https://t.co/BOgzIJUgv4
The rest of the match was an exchange between scorers: Boffelli reduced the score to the hour mark, before the Perpignan scorer answered him five minutes later (19-13). With fatigue, the Argentine defense is less and less pressing. The Blues take advantage of it. On an interval catch by Matthieu Jalibert, Peato Mauvaka comes to offer himself in the axis and goes into the in-goal (71e).
🇫🇷 Essay by Peato Mauvaka !! The #XVdeFrance takes off 9 minutes from the end of #FRAARG (26-13) 🏉 Follow the f… https://t.co/KDvJ9CjuYG
Jaminet, impeccable, takes care of the transformation to finally widen the gap. But, it is well known, the XV of France likes to be scared. Mateo Carreras grabs an aerial ball and escapes to register a try – transformed by Nicolas Sanchez – which leaves the Pumas in the match three minutes from the end of the meeting (26-20). Despite this heatstroke, the Blues manage to conclude with a last penalty from Jaminet, on the gong (29-20).
This Argentinian team – and its eleven players out of twenty-three playing in the French championship – could not stop this negative spiral in which it has found itself stuck since the start of the pandemic and has a seventh defeat. Opposite, the Blues rather rough can be satisfied with this victory and launch an autumn tour with a busy schedule. The first international test of the neophyte Thibaud Flament, only his fourth pro test, and that of Peato Mauvaka allowed the XV of France, sluggish or even laborious at times, to dispose of the Pumas for the fourth time in a row.
