World Cup hangover

The South African public’s perception that the Springboks had “broken” Les Bleus has grown throughout France’s first two 2024 matches, but is that truly the case? It is too early to know, is the succinct response. The long answer is that evidence appears to indicate that they have.

Undoubtedly, France is suffering from a bit of a hangover, but this time around they don’t have the same old go-to remedies that worked in the past, like the legendary tonic Antoine Dupont and some important coaching figures who left the setup, like Laurent Labit, Karim Ghezal, and Raphael Ibanez (more on that later).

Although the coaches and players of the current Six Nations side would fiercely contest any claims that the players who didn’t live up to the pre-World Cup hype suffered from mental health issues, it is inevitable that something had to have affected them psychologically.

Absent stars

It’s not simply the psychological toll; the French backline has a Dupont-sized hole in it. Despite his small stature, the scrum-half’s impact and ability are immeasurable, and he is an invaluable member of the team.

There is a claim that France’s structures rely too much on Dupont, and although that claim has a lot of merit, it is hard to hold them accountable for it. If he isn’t already among the best the game has ever seen, few superlatives can adequately capture the French magician’s skill and influence over the side.

The first two weeks of the Six Nations have shown us that, although Maxime Lucu is a sophisticated operator in his own way, it’s just not the same. You simply cannot duplicate Dupont’s extraordinary skill on the pitch, which includes his uncanny ability to create moments of breathtaking skill by kicking off both feet, but that’s not all he offers. Les Bleus’ attacking and defensive frameworks are mostly under the skipper’s direction and control, in addition to being set by him.

In addition to Dupont, Galthie’s roster is without a number of other important players, and the team is also negatively impacted by Romain Ntamack’s prolonged absence. Even though Matthieu Jalibert is an amazing talent and a tremendous player in his own right, he lacks Ntamack’s level of control during Test matches and his kicking isn’t as good.

Like Dupont, Ntamack is a superior defender than Jalibert and adds more composure and control over France’s structures on both sides of the ball. However, Jalibert has times in Test matches where he makes mistakes that are typically not in Ntamack’s repertoire.

The absence of Anthony Jelonch has also hurt the team, even though France has a strong back row. Even though Gregory Alldritt, Charles Ollivon, and Francois Cros have all had outstanding seasons, his work ethic, adaptability, and ball-handling prowess have been greatly missed. While Jelonch is still of a high calibre, Paul Boudehent and Alexandre Roumat are not bad either. Dylan Cretin is another back-row player who is out due. Let’s not forget that.

Getting old and tired

The lack of sleep that many of the starting players on the front lines had after the World Cup is another important point to emphasise. Although he will miss the third game, Alldritt’s stellar play for the team during the previous two comes as no surprise given La

Before the Six Nations, the formidable number eight was playing at an elite level for La Rochelle, and he continued to show similar form throughout the Championship. But it’s evident that his teammates didn’t enjoy the same luxury. Although Gael Fickou, his centre partner Jonathan Danty, has not been performing up to par for a time, the player had a difficult start to the Six Nations before reaching his typical highs in Round Two.

Prior to the Six Nations, a number of other players—including Jalibert, Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, and Uini Atonio—had to undergo a significant number of games.

New coaches settling in

As previously said, following the World Cup, France lost the experience of Labit, Ghezal, and Ibanez. The former two joined forces with Stade Francais, and the latter is still named general manager but has other duties within the French rugby hierarchy.

It is not surprising that Labit (attack and backs) and Ghezal (lineout and forwards) oversaw the two areas of the game where France appeared to be having the most difficulty.

Laurent Sempere (forwards) and Pattrick Arlettaz (backs) have been brought in by Galthie to take their places. Nevertheless, neither the team’s offence nor its lineout have been particularly successful for France, so the duo has not been an immediate success. While it is true that the players need time to acclimatise and the two should be given time to implement their reforms, the truth is that France’s economic standing has declined in these areas. Though France is currently having trouble finding new Stade Francais coaches, two weeks of preparation for an apparent easier match against Italy could be very beneficial.

Is there a different rift?

This has happened numerous times in French rugby when a rift in the relationship between the

Numerous reports have stated that Galthie is very demanding of his players and staff, and many have even suggested that an international position would be ideal for him because he would not be working with them on a daily basis but rather in short bursts.

Following France’s underwhelming results, many suggest a rift brewing between Gatlhie, his players and the staff. Only those in camp willsincerely know at this time; the rest is just conjecture, but considering French rugby’s past, it is most definitely conceivable.

According to Mourad Boudjellal, the owner of Toulon in the past, Bernard Laporte, the former president of France Rugby, employed players like Labit, Ghezal, and Ibanez not only for their coaching skills but also to counterbalance Galthie.

Laporte, according to Boudjellal, brought in those coaches to offset the “weaknesses of Galthie’s character,” and the new coaches, in his opinion, are unable to refuse the head coach.

While France could still rise to the heights reached between 2020 and the quarterfinal in 2023, it is evident that this is a testing year for them. There are indications of a possible implosion, similar to