PARIS (AP) — France is going backward and coach Fabien Galthié seems unable to stop the slide in the Six Nations.
It’s difficult to understand how Les Tricolores have gone from Rugby World Cup co-favorites along with Ireland to Six Nations also-rans inside six months.
Next up is Wales on Sunday in Cardiff. It is rarely a comfortable visit for France, even if the Welsh are faring even worse.
Ireland opened the tournament last month by crushing France by a massive 21 point-margin in Marseille. The bewildered French scraped a comeback 20-16 win in Scotland — but only after the Scots had a late try chalked off by a much-disputed TMO call — then almost suffered the humiliation of a home loss to Italy in a 13-13 draw in Lille.
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Lucky 13 for France as it turned out, as Italy flyhalf Paolo Garbisi missed a straightforward last-gasp penalty to win the game.
France could just as well have lost all three matches so far.
The head-scratching offers several theories, all of which sound like excuses.
Because surely France’s poor form isn’t down to one absent player, even though Olympic gold chaser Antoine Dupont is the best scrumhalf in the world. So what if he’s taking a break from Galthié’s squad to hone his rugby sevens skills ahead of the Paris Games?
Maxime Lucu is a decent replacement with 21 test caps, and his halves partner Matthieu Jalibert is also his club teammate at Bordeaux Bègles.
How has a Rugby World Cup hangover lasted this long?
Even though the defeat to South Africa in the World Cup quarterfinals in Paris was cruel and controversial, France bossed the first half and had only itself to blame. There was one point in it, so it’s not like France was trounced. More like pressured into submission.
The Springboks did the same to England in the semifinals and New Zealand in the final, squeezing them by one point and winning the tournament.
The way Galthié communicates with a disgruntled and demanding French media simply isn’t a genuine factor.
The loose-tongued Galthié sometimes gets a bit sarcastic and likes to wind media up.
Embellishing the Scotland win as one of France’s greatest under his tenure annoys the French press corp, but it does not explain how poorly his team is playing right now.
Former France coach Guy Noves, who made way for Galthié after the 2019 World Cup, thinks the team was over-hyped.
“We,” Noves told Le Parisien newspaper, “were given the impression we were world champions even before playing (the tournament). That a sweet was taken out of our mouths while we were tasting it.”
But Noves knows what it’s like to have the media turn on him, and urged the players to keep faith with Galthié.
“It’s normal that he’s trying to keep the same unity he’s built over the years,” Noves said. “If the players give up on him, it’s over.”
Galthié’s been let down in several areas, among them fitness.
France’s players have looked exhausted in the second half, some walking around with hands on hips and being slow to fall back into position.
“I can see (prop) Cyril Baille, who I know really, walking around. A lot of players are not at the same level physically,” former France flyhalf Jean-Baptiste Elissalde told L’Equipe’s rugby podcast show, adding that Ireland’s players seemed far better prepared early on. “I think we turned up (at the tournament) looking a bit jaded.”
JITTERY JALIBERT
In Dupont’s absence, the previously impressive Jalibert has wilted. His decision-making has been ponderous and he’s been unsure whether to kick ahead or pass the ball wide. Jalibert’s tackling has been poor, too.
It’s been unfair to lump too much blame on Jalibert, who is now out injured, given how others have fallen short.
LACK OF DISCIPLINE
Center Jonathan Danty almost cost his side a defeat with his clumsy red card against Italy when France still had control at 10-3 up. Les Tricolores then played the whole second half with 14 players, allowing the Italians back into the game.
Lock Paul Willemse was red-carded after 32 minutes against a clinical Ireland side needing no favors, and prop Uini Atonio was sin-binned late in the first half against Scotland.
LACKLUSTER ATTACK
Rampaging right winger Damian Penaud looks a shadow of the player who scored freely last year and has managed only one try in his past four matches.
This has had a knock-on effect because others are not scoring, either. Confidence in attack seems alarmingly low, unusual considering this has been France’s strong point since Galthié took charge.
Against Italy, France wasted several attacking phases in the first half by nervously fumbling passes.
Defeat to Wales could push deep-thinking Galthié toward an exit which seemed unfathomable before the World Cup.
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