Advertisement
For many, even before kick-off, the result in Cardiff felt inevitable. Any lingering doubt was extinguished inside 90 seconds, as France clicked straight into gear with an exhilarating try from Émilien Gailleton, set up by some brilliant work by his Pau teammate Théo Attissogbe.
Carre (18'), Grady (77')
Tries
Gailleton (1'), Bielle-Biarrey (10'), Brau-Boirie (14'), Jalibert (38'), Marchand (43'), Attissogbe (48', 57'), Ollivon (60')
Edwards (19')
Conversions
Ramos (2', 15', 39', 44', 49', 58', 61')
For many, even before kick-off, the result in Cardiff felt inevitable. Any lingering doubt was extinguished inside 90 seconds, as France clicked straight into gear with an exhilarating try from Émilien Gailleton, set up by some brilliant work by his Pau teammate Théo Attissogbe.
The rest of the game continued in a largely similar theme: France playing with daring and pace, with players big and small, new and old, combining to exhibit some sublime attacking skill. As England’s performance against Scotland showed, it would be reckless to draw sweeping conclusions from a heavy win over this current Wales side. However, some of the underlying numbers suggest a contest that was less one-sided than the margin implies, and there remain areas where France will need to sharpen up against sterner opposition.
Here is what we learnt from France’s largest ever victory in Cardiff.
It is now old news to be talking about the omissions from this Six Nations of Gaël Fickou and Damian Penaud, and it was the performances here of the Pau trio of Émilien Gailleton, Théo Attissogbe and debutant Fabien Brau-Boirie that confirmed that.
Penaud may have picked up a couple of tries in Union Bordeaux-Bègles’ bonus point victory at home to Castres on Saturday, but Attissogbe bagged a brace of his own in Cardiff and was instrumental in setting up at least two others. It was not a perfect performance from the 21 year-old, and we are yet to see the full extent of his skillset, but in Cardiff he showed the calmness, work-rate and intelligence that have earned him the starting berth.
One week on from the Union Bordeaux-Bègles pairing of Yoram Moefana and Nicolas Depoortère cementing their place as France’s first-choice centres, the less established Section Paloise duo stepped seamlessly into their place. He will play against stronger opposition in his international career, and having club colleagues alongside him would have helped, but Brau-Boirie looked a natural on the international stage. It was an accomplished performance, and how at ease he looked was highlighted by the cameo from Noah Néné, his fellow debutant centre. You’ve got to take your opportunities when they come in this France backline, and Néné looked like a player trying just a little too hard to force his moment.
Gailleton was arguably the standout of the three Pau youngsters. He looked composed on both sides of the ball, linking nicely with the rest of the backline in attack and making several excellent defensive reads in the outside channels. Thanks to France’s abundance of talent in the centres, he has had to be patient in the early stages of his international career, but finally given a start, and in his preferred position, he confirmed why many think he has a long international career ahead of him.
Another tick in the selection box so far for Galthié has been his second row selections, which continue to look inspired. Charles Ollivon and Mickaël Guillard were excellent once again, with Ollivon in particular producing another outstanding all-round performance. He could easily have won Player of the Match and perhaps would have done so if there hadn’t been two half-backs making the decision in the commentary box.
The decision to have two second rows who have played a lot at Number 8 has worked well and they have clearly taken the bulk of the ball-carrying responsibility. This has taken the pressure off the back row who, thus far, have been functional without being breathtaking. Oscar Jégou was the pick of the three on Sunday, working well as a link-man in attack and finishing as the game’s top tackler.
However, there is still a sense that France lack consistent go-forward in the tight exchanges. At times they found themselves retreating more than they would like, relying on offloads and skill to shift the point of contact and escape pressure. Against Wales, that approach carried little risk; against more physical sides, it may prove costly.
The issue is less about individual quality and more about profile. Oscar Jégou was the pick of the three on Sunday, working well as a link-man in attack and finishing as the game’s top tackler. François Cros and Anthony Jelonch are both fine players, but together they can feel a little too similar. The introduction of Lenni Nouchi from the bench in both games so far has been a welcome one, and hints that France may yet need more gainline punch from their back row across the full 80 minutes.
France have yet to be seriously tested at the scrum in this Championship, but the performance against a reputable Wales reputable scrum in Cardiff did little to dispel the sense that this remains an area of vulnerability for Les Bleus.
Both Dorian Aldegheri and Régis Montagne came under pressure, and while France were able to escape without significant damage, stronger packs - such as the in-form Italian one they will face this coming Sunday - will be less forgiving. Montagne again showed why he remains an attractive option, offering far more in the loose than his starting counterpart, but the set-piece questions persist.
With Tevita Tatafu having to withdraw from the squad yet again due to injury, Rabah Slimani has been recalled into the 42-man training squad this week. He is still a fantastic asset to have at your disposal, but the return of the 36 year-old underlines the reality of France’s current tighthead depth following Uini Atonio’s retirement.
On the loosehead side, Jean-Baptiste Gros fared well yet against Tomas Francis, continuing his quietly excellent run of form, but the overall picture at scrum time is one that should be top amongst Galthié’s concerns. He may look to shuffle his second-row pairing to provide some extra ballast.
For all the brilliance on show, France were far from flawless: balls hit the deck, passes went forward, and players were occasionally forced to run backwards in order to go forwards. The second half, in particular, got more untidy the longer it went on.
Some of that can be attributed to teething problems. Many of these players are still early in their international journeys, and cohesion takes time. Some of it, too, was a product of the contest itself. With the result never in doubt, the game loosened up, France’s confidence and ambition swelled, but precision suffered.
Not that France playing with confidence and ambition is by any means a negative, and Matthieu Jalibert’s majestic Player of the Match performance was something for all rugby fans to enjoy. France fans should take huge encouragement from the commanding nature of Jalibert’s performance, and he is clearly benefiting from both an immensely rich vein of form, and also from not having his place in the side being constantly questioned.
The way he and Thomas Ramos have combined as dual playmakers in the first two matches has been magnificent. However, we have yet to see the best of Antoine Dupont in this tournament. He was happy to take more of a backseat in Cardiff, but how good can France be when all three of their key playmakers are at full tilt?
Rosbifs Rugby’s France Team to face Italy:
1. Jean-Baptiste Gros, 2. Julien Marchand, 3. Rabah Slimani, 4. Thibaud Flament, 5. Mickaël Guillard, 6. Anthony Jelonch, 7. Oscar Jégou, 8. Charles Ollivon, 9. Antoine Dupont, 10. Matthieu Jalibert, 11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 12. Fabien Brau-Boirie, 13. Émilien Gailleton, 14. Théo Attissogbe, 15. Thomas Ramos
Replacements: 16. Péato Mauvaka, 17. Rodrigue Neti, 18. Regis Montagne, 19. Emmanuel Meafou, 20. Paul Boudehent, 21. Lenni Nouchi, 22. Baptiste Serin, 23. Noah Néné
