The news that Tom Willis is returning to France this summer to join Bordeaux is not just bad news for England. It is also a nuisance for France’s national coach, Fabien Galthie. Yet another English loose forward reducing his back-row options.
There are even a couple of grizzled former England loose forwards in the top echelons of the ProD2 in Courtney Lawes (Brive) and Teimana Harrison (Provence).
This is a recent phenomenon. In the 2010s it was predominantly English backs who made the move to France and flourished; the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Chris Ashton, Nick Abendanon, David Strettle and Delon Armitage.
One might argue that Zach Mercer started France’s penchant for English back-row forwards during his two seasons at Montpellier. The former Bath No 8, capped twice by England in 2018, was hugely influential when they won their inaugural Top 14 title in 2021/22. Mercer was named Player of the Season, the first Englishmen to achieve such an accolade (not even Wilkinson got that gong). Last season Jack Willis beat Thomas Ramos and Sireli Maqala to the award.
In analysing why Mercer – who joined Toulon last summer – was such a success in France, former Toulon fitness coach Steve Walsh said: “He fits in so well because the Top 14 is slightly slower [than the English Premiership] and also less structured and that suits Zach’s game. The skill level among the forwards a little lower and so with his natural ability, and the speed with which he reads the game.”
Top 14 coaches evidently reached the same conclusion, which explains why there is now such a fashion in France for English loose forwards.
They are in general fitter, quicker and technically superior than their French counterparts.
Of the ten loose forwards selected in Galthie’s 42-man Six Nations squad, five – Mickaël Guillard, Anthony Jelonch, Alexandre Roumat, Charles Ollivon and Cameron Woki – have played for either club or country in the second row.
France, like South Africa, don’t field open- and blind-side flankers in the way their rivals traditionally have. They play left and right flankers, usually big men of similar attributes. Having that specialist No7 – a Neil Back, Richie McCaw or Josh van der Flier hasn’t been France’s style. There have been some brilliant footballing flankers for France – Jean-Pierre Rives, Laurent Cabannes and Olivier Magne, for example; but in the last decade as the Top 14 has become more and more physical France have nurtured a generation of back row giants, many of whom can also play in the second row.
Of the ten loose forwards selected in Galthie’s 42-man Six Nations squad, five – Mickaël Guillard, Anthony Jelonch, Alexandre Roumat, Charles Ollivon and Cameron Woki – have played for either club or country in the second row.
Of the ten, the smallest is the 6ft 2in Alexandre Fischer.
Writing in the Sunday Times at the weekend, Stuart Barnes mused over Borthwick’s selection conundrums for the Six Nations opener and said: “There’s little to say about the back row, other than it is packed with talent, variety and options.”
There is excitement about the emergence of Bordeaux 24-year-old No 8 Temo Matiu, who switched from basketball to rugby four years ago. In the last year the 6ft 3in Matiu has bulked up to over 16 stones, making him similar in size and style to England’s Greg Fisilau.
There is excitement about the emergence of Bordeaux 24-year-old No 8 Temo Matiu, who switched from basketball to rugby four years ago. “I think I’ve retained a lot from basketball, with ball-handling techniques and even jumping for lineouts,” he said in an interview last year. “It’s also helped me read the game and analyse spaces.”
In the last year the 6ft 3in Matiu has bulked up to over 16 stones, making him similar in size and style to England’s Greg Fisilau. He’s the type of powerful, athletic, skilful loose forward that France requires. Cros, Ollivon, Jelonch, Roumat and Woki are fine players but they are much of a muchness. They are also getting on in years, and in the case of Cros, Ollivon and Jelonch, have suffered serious injuries in recent seasons.
The problem for Galthie is the lack of fresh loose forward talent coming through. There was a lot of justified hype a few seasons ago about La Rochelle’s Matthias Haddad, only 21 when he helped his club win the 2022 Champions Cup. But ever since he has been plagued by injuries, and just before Christmas he suffered his sixth concussion in five years. According to a recent report in Midi Olympique, the club has sent Haddad to one of France’s leading experts in concussion injuries to assess his future.
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‘French proportions’. Yeaaaah.
7 English back rows found in squads this season. 8 maybe next. Sounds a lot till you think there are 56 back rowers turn out each week (including 1 sub for each team). That's still 48 places available or 8 more than the total in the premiership. There are advantages to foreign players, they play through international periods. Of all those players mentioned over half are towards the end of their careers.
It seems like a bit of an extrapolation. And as an English fan I'd be more worried about facing a French back row rather than an an exiles back row.
I’m not entirely sure I would want to play against Courtney Lawes, Jack Willis & Tom Willis - I think they would give you your fair share of issues to deal with.
Another absolutely rubbish article about French rugby, written in English.
The back row depth for France is insane. No mention of Lenni Nouchi here is criminal, who has been awesome captaining Montpellier this season and was unlucky to be injured last year in the summer. Otherwise he would’ve been similar to Guillard by being a revelation in New Zealand after already playing in the 2024 Argentina tour. Esteban Capilla is another quality back rower who is currently injured but has been playing very well this season. You also have younger guys like Marko Gazzotti and Mathis Castro-Ferreira waiting in the wings.
Cros is one of the most underrated players in the world. France’s most important third line player and to call him at the level of much of a muchness proves my point. Ollivon is outstanding and very skilled, hence why he can also play at 4. Roumat and Woki are not in the 23, even though the UBB man has been one of the top form players at club level this season so far. Even if Cros, Ollivon and Jelonch all got injured… France could field Fischer Woki Alldritt just as an example, who could as a trio could more than do a job against nearly every side in the world.
Simply not true. Don’t forget Boudehent as well who was very good last year in the 6N, not mentioned at all in the article. He is injured.
I don’t think even smart England fans believe this.
Yeah, like someone pointed out up top. There are 8 English loosies playing in France, out of the 56 who play every weekend, leaving at least 48 spots.
I don't even watch the top 14 and I saw names missing from this article. France has plenty of loosie depth.
Totally.
Nouchi will turn 23 this year, just as Jégou and Capilla, cited amongst the best Top 14 players of the 1st phase of the season.
Castro-Ferreira and Gazzotti will be 22, Théo Ntamack, who was the best Toulouse back-rower this season before his injury, will turn 24, just as Brennan. Matiu 25.
Guillard, who played at 8 against NZ, will be 26.
Boudehent will be 27, Woki and Fischer 28, Roumat 29, just as Alldritt.
Cros 32, Ollivon 33, Jelonch 30.
And if you add up others who toured like Bochaton, Tixeront, van Tonder, Abadie or Vergnes-Taillefer, you got “only” 20/25 guys who could at least be on the bench.
There are enough teams and games in the Top 14, the ECPR and the Challenge Cup to make space for English back rowers.
Would they perform as well in those competitions if they didn’t have time to regenerate during the test windows? Maybe, maybe not.
One Zach Mercer explanation doesn’t stand for everything. What the Top 14 brings to those players in huge, and Mercer isn’t as dominant in Toulon as he was in Montpellier. He was a discovery back then when he entered a very odd season (a Castres-Montpellier final).
So sorry, but those hypotheses seem to shallow to me too.
If you ask to french fans in what position France theres is a lack of good players, back row will be the last and by far…
And for the lack of skills of french back rows ,it will be almost the same thing…
In England, the salary cap used to have 2 exempt (marquee players) which has since dropped to 1 player, which is usually the 10 - Fin Russell, George Ford, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith etc - they are the highest paid players and don’t count towards the salary cap.
Then the rest of the squad have to come under the salary cap constrains, so a typical 25-50 cap International back row forward will earn E300k in the PREM and they are being offered E750k by the big French T14 teams.
You can see why they are happy to move and why Top 14 has been picking up the best.
In what position in France is there a lack of good players?