From the mouths of the French – gamers, coaches, scribblers and commentators – come eulogies of what Fabien Galthie’s Grand Slam seekers are all about.
We hear of a facet that “brings joy and emotion”, a gaggle of boys, and males, who the youth of France now determine with like hardly ever earlier than, an exhilarating outfit “no longer carried by a single man (the great Antoine Dupont) but by an entire generation”.
Against Scotland there’s Theo Attissogbe, the 21-year-old wing from Pau, Nicolas Depoortere, the 23-year-old centre from Bordeaux and his otherworldly team-mate, Louis Bielle-Biarrey – 24 tries in 25 Tests. In the again row, the fantastic Oscar Jegou, the 22-year-old from La Rochelle.
Galthie has given game-time to 10 gamers aged 23 and underneath on this Six Nations. No surprise the children at dwelling have warmed to this facet.
With every thing working like clockwork, he is clearly run out of issues to complain about. Hence, his laughable swipe on the measurement of the Murrayfield away dressing room. Some of his gamers should change within the hall, Galthie whinged. Throughout the rugby world, hearts bled for the person.
In Wales a number of weeks again, France had 10,000 followers within the metropolis. On Saturday, they’re anticipating 15,000 in Edinburgh – “a human tide” the newspaper Midi Olympique calls it.
They’ll all be there to see if France could make it 4 wins out of 4, to see if Bielle-Biarrey can rating in his ninth consecutive Six Nations sport, to see if Les Bleus can blow Scotland away with the identical elan they confirmed when racing, with obscene haste, right into a 29-0 lead after 47 minutes towards Ireland, a 19-0 lead after quarter-hour towards Wales and 19-0, once more, after 29 minutes towards Italy.
France should not simply successful video games, they’re placing them to mattress rapidly. Last season they scored 30 tries – a Six Nations file – when successful the title, and this season they’ve 18 already.
A title is not sufficient for them this time, although. It’s a Grand Slam or disappointment. Galthie has a dream group however heaps of stress, too. France expects and if the followers do not get what they need this time then Galthie may be in deep trouble.
They solely have one Slam in 15 years, a pitiful complete given the sources they’ve. Everything about them proper now screams Slam, however on the pages of Midi Olympique, amid declaring this facet as the most well-liked within the historical past of the nationwide group, there’s a stark warning: “The opportunity is real, the danger, too…”
In France, many see the Scotland sport, and never England in Paris subsequent weekend, as the best hurdle to the Slam. They respect Scotland as a result of they play like France, or attempt to. When Scotland nail it, no one is protected.
