france
six nations
France
Six
Nations
T
his year’s RBS Six Nations
saw France finish outside
of the top three for a fourth
consecutive year. As one of
the traditional powerhouses of
the competition this will be a huge
disappointment for everyone involved in French
Rugby, particularly with it being in World Cup Year.
They got their campaign off to a steady start as they
managed to overcome Scotland in a scrappy encounter and were
then unable to overcome Ireland which in itself was no disgrace
but when it was followed by an uninspiring defeat to Wales,
France had gone 4 matches without having any real impact of
note on the tournament.
They bounced back well with a dominant performance away in
Italy when many people were tipping them to struggle again and
then showed glimpses of the standard of running rugby they can
produce against England. Although it was a losing effort there
were at least some positives to take.
There can be little argument that this was a disappointing
competition for France but their Head Coach Philippe SaintAndre is confident that they will be able to draw on the positives
as they look to move forwards. Speaking after the tournament he
said, “We have complete confidence in the players - they showed
a lot of character and strength of will.”
“To get ourselves where we want to be, it is going to take a
lot of hard work and a big investment of effort. What I liked in
the England game was the way the team played rugby. They
returned to playing at full speed and they showed conviction
in their abilities. It was an intense match. You either win or you
lose, but collectively and individually the effort was there.”
The worrying thing for France is that they still seem to be some
way away from finding the team that they believe is their
strongest XV. They still have some exciting talent amongst their
ranks which makes their underachievement even harder to
fathom and they are yet to establish a consistent style of play.
Their World Cup Group sees them take on the Irish which is sure
to be a tough test and they will need to improve significantly if
they are to cause them any major problems. With Italy, Canada
and Romania making up the Group France should have more
time to address the balance in the team.
It would be foolish to write the French off just yet and they will
be working hard during the coming months in order to ensure
that they are ready to hit the ground running when the World
Cup comes around. If they continue to play with the ambition
and flair that they showed against England the tournament will
be a far better spectacle for fans.
If, as expected they lose to the Irish in the race to top the group
they will be a dangerous opponent for any side in the quarter
finals. This Six Nations Tournament was billed as a preview of
where the teams are currently but with France it is unlikely that
anyone is any wiser as to the level they are at. That is nothing
unusual though.
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