Fatigued French team below par in title defense: After two rounds of the Six Nations, there is a pause in the competition which allows us to summarize and provide a report for each team. Then comes France. Each season after a year without a Grand Slam defeat is always judged individually in its context and this is precisely France’s six-nation draw in 2023 with three away games including Ireland and England to improve the ascent. RWC fans can buy France Rugby World Cup Tickets from our website.
Sure, their performance at the 2022 Six Nations was absolutely stellar, but the subsequent tour of Japan was nothing more than a training run for their stars, and their fall campaign was marred by strong confrontations in games they felt they should have won, according to their calculations. Comfortable. Exciting Italy could win their opening game in Rome, with the France Rugby World Cup team eventually prevailing 29-24.
The game against Ireland was one of the hosts’ most impressive performances in recent memory, with Ireland robbing the Blues of continuity and structure at 32-19. With several key players absent, even established French stars are looking less fit, but with less than 150 days to go until the RWC, the crucial question of whether the French team is in ultimate decline or victim of their own workload is what to do with the form failure has.
Best player
Many judges would expect the likes of Antoine Dupont or Damian Penaud when picking France’s best players and while they will always draw care, our pick to rally Toulouse Block Thibaud Flament, someone who wouldn’t vie, is striking. But hurt due to the long life of Cameron Woki. Flament’s star has risen knowingly in the 5 years since he took up the sport in Belgium, moving from a rather unlikely act aged 10 in the BUCS Four to a stint in the 2nd row for French team against Argentina in the Stade de France settled.
In Argentina for an internship at the French Embassy to focus on Rugby World Cup, build muscle and learn a different approach to the game. His lines are still glamorous, as befits a 1.88cm man, but since his inception, 14 Tests have proven him to be a phenomenal ballplayer whose performance rivals any Six Nations line of defense.
His performance as Man of the Match against Italy highlighted his versatile game as he progressed through the trial and was at the center of everything his side did well. In a season when the French’s running, formation, and forward play fell short of their highest standards, Flament had 43 tackles, 11 tackles, and 15 tackles from 100 yards. He might not be the smartest player but he’s pretty much France’s most effective striker at the moment before the RWC.
Unsung star
In the absence of Jonathan Danty at the age of 12, Gael Fickou’s workload has increased slightly as at 13 he combines both the responsibilities of running a large center and his own work in defense and attack. A man content to organize or hammer a defense structure as lieutenant and chief of defense. In fact, he’s averaging 15 successful tackles per game and about 14 rushes, which has to put any player through a lot.
His outstanding leadership and value to the French team at this stage cannot be underestimated, as well as his ability to defend and man the inside line to make room for others. Fickou is now a full Rugby World Cup player. France’s only dilemma at the moment is whether to play him in his favorite role of center-back or get him to take on the starring role Danty vacated following his injury. All in all a great season so far.
Best moment
Once again, the debate between Romain Ntamack and Matthieu Jalibert is raging like a forest fire in the French team. Will you bet on Dupont and Ntamack a la Toulouse, or on the effect of Bordeaux 10, a man who has lately been sure to be much more real than Ntamack in terms of game control or influence? To stoke that fire, Jalibert spent exactly 55 seconds on the pitch in Rome before scoring a brilliant drive running from Fickou, who mailed four defenders and left Jalibert at home under the goals.
It was a wonderfully successful attempt to win the game, based on Fickou’s dedication and Jalibert’s vision, and it allowed France to end a game they would otherwise have lost. Not only is the debate settled at this point, but will surely the performance offered by the Bordeaux every time it wears an azure shirt lead to a change in selection policy soon? Rugby World Cup fans can buy Rugby World Cup 1st Quarter Final tickets from our website.
Biggest weapon
In Antoine Dupont and Damian Penaud, the French team has weapons of thermonuclear proportions, which is as true today as it was last season. Penuad’s Dublin process began and ended with him, with significant input from Anthony Jelonch incorporated as part of the absolute beauty of rugby a process for the ages and the culmination of an incredible RWC match. Dupont may not have been in the lead like last season but he remains easily the best rugby player in the world.
With his No10 club Ntamack’s lack of influence on the game, his workload was enormous as, in addition to his usual scrimmage duties, he played in a uniquely French way of controlling the game from the ninth. His value to any team he plays for is undeniable and it’s only a matter of time before he makes another successful personal effort. The main problem with France is that it is loaded with guns, but at the moment only two or three of its arsenal are firing at full throttle.
Biggest shortcomings
Is France on the verge of losing form? As with the 2003 Rugby World Cup in England, there is a sentiment that this side may have peaked a year or two earlier and there are concerns about France’s form before they ‘host the 2023 tournament. France has three main undercurrents, and they all draw underwater First, the form of their superstar strikers Cyril Baille, Paul Willemse, Charles Ollivon, and Gregory Alldritt is a far cry from what they were at the end of 1.
Willemse and Ollivon are back after months out
Baille in particular seems to have been under a lot of pressure in the scrum; Willemse and Ollivon are back after months out and all third looks easy Color Second, injuries. Losses to Danty, Gabin Villière, and Cameron Wokie hurt them a little more than expected, despite the form of Flament and Ethan Dumortier. The team lacks the hard lines of Danty and Villiers and consequently, things don’t go as they should in midfield, also made worse by Ntamack’s lackluster performances at ten.
The third and last point, the number of cases even in the TOP14 and EPCR campaigns is taking its toll. When Alldritt played Caelan Doris in Dublin that season, he played 1,400 minutes of rugby while Doris played 900 minutes. Form problems and fatigue problems can intertwine and injured players will be back in time for the RWC, so the jury is not there for the time being.
But with those three issues resolved, France must return to their best form if they are to live up to its reputation as a Rugby World Cup favorite for years. It would be remiss not to mention two young players, Thomas Ramos and Ethan Dumortier, due to their influence on development. It may not yet be the nuclear power of Dupont and Penaud, but the promise shown in both games so far has impressed everyone, despite France’s disappointment in Dublin and underperformance in Rome.
The number of mistakes made throughout the pitch
In terms of team development, however, France seems to have stagnated since last year, being held back by the issues we’ve discussed and hasn’t really evolved to keep up with the progress made by other countries like Ireland and Scotland. To move forward, the France RWC team must contend with midfield control, midfield advantage, and the number of mistakes made throughout the pitch.
Eticketing.co is the best website to buy Rugby World Cup Tickets. RWC fans can buy Rugby World Cup 2023 Tickets from our website.
