La diplomatie de l’omelette ou comment les Bleus ont retrouvé le goût de la victoire
« On s’est fait rouler dessus la semaine dernière et il faut qu’on se révolte », souffle Damian Penaud en recevant son maillot marquant sa 50e sélection à la veille du match contre l’Ecosse. Dans leur hôtel près d’Edimbourg, les Bleus n’attendent qu’une chose : se prouver à eux-mêmes – et par ricochet aux autres – qu’ils valent mieux que les deux dernières défaites de rang contre les deux meilleures nations du monde, l’Afrique du Sud et l’Irlande.
Le staff aura rivalisé de méthode Coué pour tenter de remotiver les troupes, leur redonner la force de gagner, adaptant un ton calme, volontairement positif et constructif, surjouant l’esprit d’équipe et le positivisme – tel Fabien Galthié, très diplomate en conférence de presse lors de l’annonce de la composition. « La préparation de ce match, c’est que du bonheur, c’est que de la joie, c’est que du plaisir », soutient-il en en faisant des tonnes.
« On se concentre à faire des choses simples »
Lorsque la semaine de préparation débute ce lundi 5 février, Galthié prévient ses gars que la première journée sera mentale – « intense psychologiquement en termes de réflexion, d’échanges de participation », explique-t-il – mais qu’à la fin 90% des questions que le groupe peut se poser auront trouvé réponse.
Dès le lendemain, comme le montre l’épisode 7 de la troisième saison de Destins mêlés de la Fédération Française de Rugby, ce sera plus physique. Par un heureux hasard Marcoussis plonge alors dans un climat écossais avec le ciel bas et les nuages chargés. Un temps de préparation idéal.
« Si le temps est pareil ce week-end, la passe en plus, on ne la tente pas. Si on ne la sent pas, on ne la fait pas », annonce Charles Ollivon qui assume son poste de leader avec le capitaine Grégory Alldritt à ses côtés. « On garde, on commence en sudaf’, on porte, on reste bien bas, on avance et après, ça libère derrière. Des choses simples, ok ? Simples. »
Le premier ingrédient de cette révolte tranquille est confirmé par Greg Alldritt dans la foulée. « Quand il faut faire un truc compliqué, on sait le faire », dit-il. « Par contre, il faut qu’on se concentre à faire les choses simples, comme il a dit, Charles. Des choses simples avec beaucoup de vitesse, ok ? Et ensuite les espaces, on va savoir les jouer. Par contre, les premiers rucks, un peu patients, profondeur, vitesse et très simple, ok ? C’est comme ça qu’on va avancer, qu’on va marquer. »
Métaphore culinaire
Simplicité du jeu, retour aux fondamentaux, mais avec précision, vitesse et rigueur. Galthié le répètera après le match : « on n’est pas là pour faire des démonstrations ». Du moment que son équipe gagne, « ça me va ». Même sans flamboyance face à l’Ecosse, « je coche ».
Quelques jours auparavant, à Marcoussis, le staff avait convié deux chefs étoilés à rencontrer les joueurs. Yves Camdeborde, un maître de la bistronomie, cette cuisine française simple mais magnifiée, et le très cathodique Christian Constant, jadis membre du jury de Top Chef. Tout un symbole.
« On nous apprend un truc en cuisine qui est magique, c’est que le geste anodin, inintéressant, il faut l’aimer », explique Camdeborde. « Car quand on arrive à l’aimer, on aimera tout après, c’est-à-dire tout ce qui est difficile, tout ce qui est laborieux, tout ce qui est dur à faire parce qu’il n’y a aucun intérêt intellectuel. Mais on l’aime et derrière, on aimera tout ce qui suit. »
Le parallèle avec le rugby est évident. Camdeborde ne le sait pas, mais il vient de reprendre avec la métaphore culinaire le discours que les leaders ont prononcé quelques heures avant sur le terrain d’honneur de Marcoussis.
La soirée qui suit achèvera de faire passer le message : un concours d’omelettes. Un plat on ne peut plus simple, dans lequel on peut mettre plein de bonnes choses, devant être exécuté avec rigueur, précision et vitesse pour ne pas qu’il finisse à la poubelle, insipide.
Avec ces ingrédients instillés tout au long de la semaine, la recette a pris sur le terrain de Murrayfield samedi 10 février, même si parfois un peu de coquille est resté dans l’omelette finale, laissant un goût inachevé à cette révolte tiédasse.
Une petite victoire (20-16), sans trop être trop rassurante, mais suffisante pour que le sélectionneur s’en émerveille. « C’est une période extraordinaire à vivre parce qu’on gagne ensemble, on perd ensemble et on souffre ensemble. Et notre chemin, ces derniers temps, nous a ramené à l’essentiel de ce jeu. Je vis cette victoire avec une grande joie parce qu’on se construit aussi dans la difficulté », disait-il, sourire béat, en conférence de presse.
Contre l’Italie à Lille le 25 février, il faudrait bien rajouter un peu de parmesan à l’omelette pour lui donner encore plus de goût.
Comments on RugbyPass
The game was changing too much with teams trying to role the dice drawing fouls. Would be better if scrums and the adjudicating problems were resolved but this is a good immediate fix.
37 Go to commentsLike many here I am encouraged by this post. Our forwards are where the real rewards and improvements must come from. With a 50/50 pack against any opposition, our backs could ensure more than 50% of the games will be won. We need Valetini at 6 and Cale at 8 to make the most or a good tight 5, McWright will add to the effectiveness of the pack BUT must get a very good tight 5 out there first.
97 Go to commentsThe key point I think that is missing is that if Joseph wants to guarantee a Lions spot, he really has to play wing in his first year. He is easily going to nail down whatever he wants to do, but with just half a season, how much of a factor he proves to be in the Lions series could be dictated by this initial choice of playing position.
8 Go to commentsthe game was 2 weeks before the challenge cup final. I really don’t believe they needed to rest that many players.
1 Go to commentsI really feel like neither of the Vunipolas is given the respect they deserve. I would have liked to see both of them get a few more caps than they have gotten in the past couple of years, but unfortunately the fact that they both peaked young has meant that for a number of years they have been perceived as disappointments. When they are both retired, in the cold light of day they will be recognised as two of the best players of their generation of any nation.
2 Go to commentsthis generation of saracens players could produce some really incredible coaches. When Farrell retires he could walk into any premiership team as a defence, attack, or kicking coach. Itoje could make it as a defence or a lineout coach, and Jamie George as a lineout or scrum coach. The problem the Vunipolas are going to have is that its not clear what their coaching speciality would be. Neither are great in the set piece, and while they were good in attack and defence, they were never tactical masterminds. Perhaps contact skills would be their ideal brief? Mako perhaps could work in strength & conditioning, but Billy has a bit of a reputation for not taking that side of the game seriously.
2 Go to commentsA very good player.We are finally getting some balance in our team. Plummer..Heem ..Lam a solid..experienced combo who take the sensible options consistently. Clarke was a grt impact of the bench option until Lam moved to 13 to replace an injured Reiko. Cotter is doing a grt job building his team. .
1 Go to commentsSaturday was last straw. Terrible record in Premiership since Jan 23. Capitulation against Bath at home. There are 3 conclusions. Players aren't good enough. Coaching team aren't good enough or combination of both.
2 Go to commentsAs you say in your article Brett, the point was Hamish and his vanity - plain and simple. The crazy bit is that sua’ali’i has to be probably twice the player of mark N, no easy feat, just for RA to get their money's worth!?! And as you say, tahs aren't short of wingers, props on the other hand id like to see $1.6m spent on. I still shake my head at the absolute carry on in the media and comments section around the boon of getting sua’ali’i and the revenue it'd generate. It was all such hogwash imo and short sighted, real sugar hit stuff. And wasnt Waugh (and others) on the board at the time this money was spent? You say silver bullet, I'd say sugar hit but without the flavour.
8 Go to commentsNZR should play hard all a bit with some of these players and make them sign up to the next world cup. If they won’t, offer it to someone who will. Because what happens is the NH (especially France) swoop on a bunch of nz players coming off contract, weakening their depth, and nz scrambles less than 2 years out trying to get replacements up to speed.
1 Go to commentsNo thanks. Savea almost always leaves easy points out there and goes for the corner, no matter how many times it’s not working. He claimed he took “the learnings” from this when he kept making the same mistake against the Boks a few years ago. Then went out the very next week and did the same thing and SA snatched victory because of it. Years later he still does it, right up to and including the world cup final. Great player, not so great rugby nous.
10 Go to commentsIt certainly wasn't a rhetorical masterpiece coming from big E …. (just as a side remark: Eben is the better player, Siya by far the better talker - maybe that's why they don't seem to like each other very much) …. but could we please move on?
63 Go to commentsMan who wasn't there and hasn't held a conversation with those who were present weighs in on dead rubber debate and is presented as representative of the Irish Rugby Union’s spokesperson on subject he has no apparent knowledge of whatsoever.
63 Go to commentsanybody who bends at the waist when they tackle
4 Go to commentsThe evidence is not strong that this is necessary. Mounga choked on clutch kicks in the WRC final and lost the match by not performing his core goal kicking role to the level required. He also choked in the Semi final against England and was targeted as the weak point in the defence allowing them to score. Not a test great frankly. Why bend the rules for a player that is competent but not brilliant at test level?
11 Go to commentsDear Robbie, Please return to the Crusaders next season. Sincerely, Scott
1 Go to commentsDid the big E call the Irish the ‘White Can’ts’? That would’ve been good
63 Go to commentsDalton Papalii will be lucky to be selected on the Matchday 23. Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson, and Peter Lauki are all as good or better openside flankers
10 Go to commentsScott Barrett is a lock and they have a much longer shelf life than a loose forward. Far more likely that Barrett will still demand a starting position based on performance at age 33 at RWC 2027 than Savea, whose explosive athleticism will have declined and he will in all likelihood have been surpassed by Hoskins Sotutu, Wallace Siti, Peter Lauki and Brayden Iose.
10 Go to commentsExtremely frustrating to get yet more speculation over whether or not Eben actually counted 12 players or not, but honestly big respect to McCloskey for keeping it classy and not pointing out Etzebeth’s hypocrisy. The Irish are a popular team outside of Ireland because they do their talking on the pitch, and its honestly a PR masterclass that they’re keeping it that way following Etzebeth’s provocation.
63 Go to comments