Spring arrived a little early in Saint-Denis on Saturday March 19. And three fireworks announced it. The first, above the Stade de France before the match; the second on the ground, on the initiative of the XV of France. And the last at the end of the game, in an enclosure transformed into a nightclub. The French men’s rugby team beat England (25-13). Undefeated in the competition, the Blues won the Six Nations Tournament and the tenth Grand Slam in their history. Twelve years after their last coronation.
In 2010, Antoine Dupont was 13 years old. Once again exemplary – and named man of the match – the captain of the XV of France led his troops to victory against the same opponent as their predecessors. Like twelve years before, France won their trophy by showing exemplary solidity in defense and scrum. But to conclude the third tournament of this generation led by Fabien Galthié, the Blues offered themselves a great victory to lift their first trophy, against the English in addition.
“They were great! Not just today huh savored the French coach after the meeting. It’s been two and a half since the work done with passion and commitment has enabled us to come and snatch this victory, and to conclude this tournament with a grand slam. » Appointed after the 2019 World Cup, and responsible for getting French rugby out of the rut into which it had fallen, the Lot technician could relish. After “Win back to games, fast”and “return to the top three in the world”his team completed the triptych he had set for him: “Regain titles. »
A “sublimely tense” match
In a discipline that is quick to turn games into epic fights – it must be recognized that the many tackles and other “confrontation zones” contribute to this – the French had tried this week to dodge the pressure like a winger piercing a defense. opponent. “We’re not going to war, we’re just going to play a rugby match, relativized Gaël Fickou, one of the locker room executives. Not much will happen to us on the pitch, apart from winning a game or losing it. » Carried by a Stade de France in heaven, the Blues never let England, who had started well, take their ease. Applied in defense, the teammates of Antoine Dupont did not let the twelve years of waiting overwhelm them. “This match was sublimely tensesummed up Fabien Galthié. It was something we hadn’t experienced yet, this tension that suddenly jumped out at us. »
Narrowly beaten by the English in their last two clashes, the Blues have reversed the trend. And their opponents noted their progress. “This year, they are much more precise. They have a much clearer game plan and they’re sticking to it.”, noted the captain of the XV of the Rose, Courtney Lawes. Without forcing, but serene, the French waited for their hour.
In a tournament tighter than ever – illustrated by the victory, Saturday, of Italy in Welsh lands (22-21), the first success of the Transalpine in the competition since 2015 –, it sometimes takes a bit of luck to finish victorious. When the Scotsman Stuart Hogg committed a forward as he spun towards the in-goal following a recovery that paralyzed the French defense, or when the experienced Welshman Jonathan Davies got tangled up when he could swing his people in the lead; the Blues, version 2022, were able to take advantage of some favorable rebounds.
Literally, too, like the ball falling into the hands of Jonathan Danty during the match in Scotland, taking a rebound from the backhand defense, and giving the French center an almost ready-made try. Bad luck, according to the overpowering Rochelais. “The rebound falls into my arms, but you have to be in the right place at this moment, this action starts from our twenty-two meters, so it could have ended very differently”, then insisted Danty. Specifying : “We create opportunities for ourselves to have fun. » In a Stade de France that has become a pressure cooker, chanting ” push “ on the scrums, the French went to win their star.
Their first try on Saturday, signed Gaël Fickou, saw the oval lean on their side. Following a big streak from Gabin Villière, a fake pass and a ground pass from Cameron Woki, a jump from Romain Ntamack bounced off the meadow, before finding the tricolor multitasking center, winger of circumstance. A second try, a few moments before half-time (by the third line François Cros) allowed the French to turn with a comfortable lead at the break (18-6).
Antoine Dupont takes charge of the thrust
If the Blues arrived confident, no one expected a walkover against the English. And the second half showed it. Remotivated at the break, the players of the XV de la Rose quickly reduced the gap with a try from Freddie Steward. Income less than a converted test (18-13), Eddie Jones’ players pushed, but came up against the defense put in place by Shaun Edwards, the English asset of the tricolor staff. Having become experts in the art of hunkering down before biting, the Blues have not been disunited. As since the beginning of this tournament.
Captain since the fall – and the injury of Charles Ollivon – Antoine Dupont took charge of the final blow. Following a tricolor offensive in the English camp, Gregory Alldritt found his captain inside, who escaped the defense, to go and score the third French try (25-13 after conversion). “He is a leader in the group and on the pitch. We want to follow him, and we are serene”greeted his partner Melvyn Jaminet after the meeting.
Twenty minutes remained to be held, where the French never seemed in danger. “If we had been closer to the score, in the last ten minutes, the idea of the Grand Slam could have gone to their heads”, sighed Eddie Jones, the English coach. Who recognizes that the Blues deserved their title.
Because they wanted more. “The players have only one desire, it is to write their name at the bottom of a cup. They are obsessed with the desire to win something., warned the co-coach of the tricolor conquest, Karim Ghezal, this week. The 79,176 spectators at the Stade de France saw it, then celebrated.
After the victory of his family against Ireland (30-24 – part stamped “final before time” in the tournament – Fabien Galthié had expressed his ” pride “ to see his team “building on the ground, through results”. For him, the progress made over the past two years has enabled his group to have “convictions, and to be inhabited by pride and haughtiness”. Against England, Romain Ntamack and his partners displayed their certainties. Those who do not hide being aware of being “a hell of a generation”validated their progress by conquering their first title. “Now that we’re here, we don’t want it to end”, concluded Antoine Dupont. Appetite comes with eating, and with this “final” won, the Blues are now thinking about the next World Cup.
