In rugby as elsewhere, the end of an era is sometimes very small. A ball that finds the bar, a crampon touching the touchline canceling an opponent’s try, or a foolproof defense. Sunday February 14, the XV of France overcame all the difficulties to win in Ireland, after ten years of scarcity (15-13). And consolidate its progress in the Six Nations Tournament – of which the Blues occupy, alone, the head, with two victories in as many matches.
“For ten years, we have been beating here, so the victory is beautiful”, relished the French center, Gaël Fickou after the meeting. The fight was also, if not in the way. “Honestly, it was one of the toughest games I’ve played. It was war from the first to the 80th minute ”, noted Captain Charles Ollivon, happy to have led his people to victory in “A fierce battle”.
Especially since French affairs were badly embarked. And given the first half hour of the game, it’s hard to imagine the Blues turning in the lead at half-time. From one of the first actions of the match, Brice Dulin saw his return kick being blocked by an Irishman. Between the ammunition lost in touch, the faults in scrums or in the regroupings, and a yellow card collected for a trifle from Bernard Le Roux, the teammates of Antoine Dupont suffered a barrage from their hosts. And it was not until the crampon of James Lowe, flirting with the touchline – with the help of Dulin in defense -, for a try of the Irish winger does not materialize the domination of the XV of the Clover (25e minute).
“How did we lose? “ Captain for a night – in the absence of Jonathan Sexton, badly recovered from a concussion – the Irishman Ian Henderson did not seek excuses. “We did not seize the opportunities we got, and for its part, France did. “ Because after spending half an hour on the retreat, having to negotiate a rain of high balls sent to the foot and having to scrap each ball against a rough opponent, the Blues have made their first foray into the Irish 22 meters.
A new pragmatism on the French side
Yet heckled in the air, Julien Marchand’s teammates took advantage of a good throw in touch to undermine the green defense. After a sweep of the field, carried by relays from Antoine Dupont and Matthieu Jalibert, Gaël Fickou managed to put his arms around a tackle, and serve Ollivon, a second-hand winger. “Charles has the role of a hallway joker. He knows how to use his speed potential and can unleash his power ”, had unveiled Fabien Galthié in the fall. The French captain confirmed his words on Sunday, scoring the first try of the game (29e).
🇫🇷😍What a sublime essay by Charles Ollivon! The Blues succeed in a nice collective movement and Gaël Fickou serves as… https://t.co/OLKRP3tXeq
But don’t go talk about “Miracle” to Fabien Galthié. “Even reduced to 14, we left them few opportunities, slice the French coach, and the talent of our players was able to express itself during the movement leading to the test. There is no miracle, it is reality. “ And a certain idea of pragmatism. “The first twenty minutes were intense, it was hard to catch your breath, but we held on”, breathed the man of the match, Brice Dulin, after the game.
After a more balanced start to the second period, the Blues struck again on a reversal of play, seeing Dulin, served by Jalibert, offer one hand a test ball to winger Damian Penaud (55th). “It’s the strength of this team, taking advantage of the loss of opposing balls, underlined Gaël Fickou. As soon as we have an opportunity, we go to the end. And again, we missed a few. “ With a stack of twelve points ahead (15-3) just over 25 minutes from the siren, the Blues could see it coming. But on a capricious rebound – here, Fabien Galthié validates the term “Miracle” – following an Irish touch, the hooker replacing Ronan Kelleher recovered the ball and spun alone in the in-goal (15-10). As a reminder that a game in Ireland is as unpredictable as the bounces of an oval ball.
Chopped, the end of the game saw the XV of Clubs, not spared from injuries – three players were forced to exit simultaneously on concussion protocol – struggling to return to the mark. Feeling the Irish breath on the back of his neck – and remembering the many reversals of the situation facing the same opponent – France could have simplified the task if it had materialized a few occasions, like the penalty of Matthieu Jalibert, finding the post eight minutes from time.
These Blues know how to “win ugly”
“France has been formidable in efficiency, greeted Andy Farrell, the coach of the XV of Clover, after the meeting. They were clinical enough to register the trials as soon as they had the chance. In big games like this, which are played at small margins, you have to seize the opportunities. “ While it is far too early to say that victory on Irish soil will lead to a French coronation in a few weeks, it marks a milestone in the progress of the France team. Now, these Blues know how to “win ugly”. Fold without breaking.
“It’s a match that we could have lost last year, but we are progressing”, underlined Grégory Alldritt, author of a new high-flying performance. A year ago, before the pandemic linked to the new coronavirus put the Tournament on hiatus, Scotland had thus showered the French Grand Slam ambitions (28-17). “It’s not our best game, confirmed Gaël Fickou. But we are not here to make good matches. Winning in Ireland, few teams succeed. ” The 26-year-old French center, which celebrated its 60e cape Sunday, had its share of disillusionment with the relentless game of the Irish. “Despite a difficult start, the team managed without panicking to rectify the situation little by little and then to finish cleanly”, greeted Fabien Galthié.
A year ago, the France team had extinguished the Welsh choirs by coming to win in their lair in Cardiff. This group has just pinned Dublin to its list – even in the absence of the hot Irish public – by winning “Irish style”, and savored all the more because they knew they were expected. “Last year we took advantage of a small surprise effect”, recognizes Gaël Fickou. And now Twickenham is on their way, in a month. With one more year on the clock, the Blues refuse to get carried away. “Tonight we won a great match, but we remain measured because we haven’t won anything yet”, insists Matthieu Jalibert. Otherwise the right to approach the next meeting, in Paris against Scotland on February 28, in the chair of the Tournament leader.
