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Les Bleus end troubled tour of Argentina with defeat
Given that the game had to be played, Les Bleus faced this second test amid problems that marred their South American tour (Jaminet’s racist comments, sexual assault allegations against Jegou and Auradou). They didn’t win, and it’s hard to blame them given the circumstances.
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Nevertheless, Fabien Galthié’s men managed to win the series on points difference (+7) thanks to their 28-13 victory last Saturday.
France struck first through captain Baptiste Serin, who took advantage of a good turnover (0-7, 10th minute). But the Argentinians quickly responded with a 21-3 run before the break, including three converted tries.
France emerged from the break with renewed vigor, scoring two tries in quick succession through the Palois duo of Gailleton (46th minute) and Attissogbé (50th minute). They took the lead (21-25) and seemed poised to add to their first test victory. However, Argentina responded just as quickly, and loose-head prop Thomas Gallo scored twice off the bench (58th, 67th minutes) to end France’s hopes.
Les Bleus’ scrum suffered
Dominant in the first test in Mendoza and for the first hour in Uruguay, the French scrum struggled against Argentina in Buenos Aires. Les Bleus were unable to rely on this launch pad, and worse still, the structure was completely demolished by the Pumas at the 30-minute mark, resulting in a penalty try. To be fair to the French, their tighthead prop situation was dire: Thomas Laclayat was injured in Montevideo, and his replacement, Demba Bamba, was also ruled out of the match. Bamba, who replaced Colombe in the second test, came on in the 26th minute and lasted just 15 minutes before the Rochelais player returned. There was even a simulated scrum when Colombe was yellow-carded, leaving Les Bleus without an effective tighthead prop.
Les Bleus Opportunistic
Mentally and physically out of sorts, France made the most of their few attacking opportunities. All three of their tries came from opportunistic efforts. The first came when Gaëtan Barlot picked up a loose ball in midfield. Two passes later, Baptiste Serin touched down (10th minute). The second try came when Emilien Gailleton beat the Argentinian scrum-half to score in the corner after Antoine Hastoy had lost the ball in contact a few seconds earlier (46th minute). For the third try, Léo Barré tapped over at the back of the defense, and the rebound fooled Bautista Delguy and Théo Attissogbé (50th minute).
2/2 for Atissogbé
Théo Attissogbé, 2023 U20 World Champion and the surprise of the Top 14 season, did not disappoint in his debut for Les Bleus. The Section Paloise wing made the most of his first two senior caps, scoring a try in each game. He will undoubtedly be back in action in the near future.
Argentina change from week to week
After losing their first test in Mendoza, the Pumas showed a completely different side in Buenos Aires. More aggressive at the back, more robust up front, and more accurate and committed throughout, they produced a first-half performance of the highest quality despite the loss of captain Julian Montoya (22nd minute). They also responded well to France’s good start in the second half and looked much more like the semi-finalists of the last World Cup.
A rooster torments Les Bleus
Les Bleus started the second half brightly, making up for the deficit they had built up in the first 40 minutes. But a loosehead prop trained as a scrum-half put an end to France’s hopes. Thomas Gallo came on at half-time and scored two tries in nine minutes (58th, 67th) to give his side some breathing space. Interestingly, “Gallo” means “rooster” in Spanish…
