As tough as it is for me to say this, France have slipped out of contention as a real threat in September’s rugby World Cup. I say this as somebody who grew up idolising Thierry Lacroix and Oliver Roumat when they were with the Sharks in 1995. I also say this as a South African resident who’s seen a lot of southern hemisphere rugby. And I say it after checking with many of my rugby-watching friends who share the same opinion.
The team’s problem is their coach, Marc Lievremont, and selector Bernard Laporte. Jaws dropped when Lievremont announced that Sebastien Chabal would play at No. 8 against England.
He has one of the best number eights in the world in Imanol Harinordoquy, but he thought that what didn’t work against the Wallabies would work against England. Watching the replay on Sunday night showed what a fatal error Lievremont had made.
He thought that the French pack could hammer the English pack as the Boks did. But apart from an excellent front row, and Harinordoquy, who’s a great lineout jumper, ball carrier and defender, the best player the frogs have, the French forwards aren’t that special. Not this year at least.
It used to be that Thierry Dusautoir would tirelessly tackle anything that moved, and he still does to a lesser extent. In the second row, neither Lionel Nallet nor Jerome Thion scare anybody. And Julien Bonnaire, who’ll be 33 in September, resembles a heavy weight boxer who has taken one too many shots to the head.
Back to Chabal. He’s immensely popular, the manly face of French rugby, but he shouldn’t have a spot in the run on 15. He’s an ideal bench player to come on in the last twenty minutes as a second row replacement and do some damage. But his charges were easily absorbed by the English and he had little effect on Saturday.
Backs lack penetration
But I don’t want to place all the blame for the loss on the forwards. The fact is that the French backs are not up to it anymore. The Half-backs, Dimitri Yachvili and Francois Trinh-Duc are a good enough combo although Trinh-Duc’s attempted drop goal with James Haskell right in his face is symptomatic of indecisiveness if not panic.
But he did put through a perfect grubber which Aurelien Rougerie fumbled in his dive. Clement Poitreneau passed the ball into touch, Vincent Clerc and Yoan Huget tried hard, Traille did his best, but the net result is a backline that’s lacking punch and penetration, pretty much the same problem that the Boks have.
Can France find new blood to restore them to being World Cup contenders? I believe it’s too late for that. I think Lievremont will continue to mess around with the same 22 he has now, and it won’t be enough to take down any giants in New Zealand in September.
They’ll be beaten if they come up against England, which has developed a rugged defence, and they won’t be able to stay with the Boks, Wallabies or All Blacks.I would relegate France to the status of dangerous floaters along with Ireland and the Pumas.
