Whisper It Quietly: French Flair Is Coming Back
Something strange happened during Saturday’s November international between France and Australia in Paris on Saturday, writes James Harrington.
Les Bleus were behind 23-25 with 13 minutes left on the clock when La Marseillaise started ringing around the full-to-capacity Stade de France. The French battle cry has not been heard so clearly for many a match. Even more remarkably, the anthem was still going strong three minutes later.
Never mind that Les Bleus ultimately lost the test match. Never mind that replacement first-five Camille Lopez slid an 81st-minute drop goal attempt wide of the mark, or that on 70 minutes Scott Spedding probably could and should have passed to Noa Nakaitaci who probably would have cantered 40 metres to the line. Never mind that, five minutes later, the South African-born fullback failed to notice – despite the entire crowd and most of the millions watching on television screaming at him – that France had a glaring four-on-one overlap and tried to go through a gap that wasn’t there.
The important thing is this: French rugby fans believe in their national side again. They played with energy and industry and – whisper it quietly in case it gets scared and vanishes into the undergrowth again – flair.
So, what has changed? Two things. Firstly, there’s the whole backroom set-up – including how much time that national coach gets to spend with his players around international windows and the number of club games players on elite and development squads play before being rested.
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These changes meant banging a few club presidents’ heads together, something new coach Guy Novès is uniquely placed to do. And they’re vital to improving French performances on the pitch. But they’re not as important as the second thing.
Philosophy.
For too long, the simple act of pulling on the French rugby jersey has filled players with ‘Le Fear’, such crippling terror of making a mistake that it has effectively prevented them trying anything even vaguely adventurous.
You can almost pinpoint the exact date the malaise started to set in – just after the 1999 World Cup final, when Bernard Laporte took over as France coach. He was so desperate to emulate English success that he copied their iron discipline template, but at the cost of eroding the genius that comes just this side of madness.
Novès has nearly 17 years of Le Fear to undo. There’s no wonder his first Six Nations did not go quite as well as Eddie Jones’ with England, or that France’s summer tour to Argentina was muted, while Jones’s Australian return was – from a red rose perspective – a huge success.
And yet, there are hints that he is starting to see some success. Yes, when they break the advantage line the French sometimes look like a rabbit in the headlights, but the fact they have the confidence to even try something that has become so alien is cause for optimism.
On Saturday night they dared to run the ball. They attacked from deep in their own territory. They poured through gaps they created in the Australian defence. In fits and starts, they threatened to be the unpredictable France of old.
Spedding may have been caught out because he hesitated too long before passing to Nakaitaci, but the France of recent times would not have even tried to launch an attack from their own tryline. He may have missed the overlap, but it speaks volumes that, with the clock ticking down, he had the self belief to go for a gap that closed just too quickly for him to break through.
And you can bet there are no recriminations where it matters, in the dressing room. Novès has faith in his players. Because he believes in them, they believe in themselves – and that is why the supporters are daring to believe again.
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments