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Toulousains wear XV of France
The success of the XV of France during this Tournament owes a lot to its Toulousains. Three champions of France in particular: François Cros, Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack. The first is tireless in defense. 18 tackles, none missed. A constant presence in hot spots. What about the scrum half? Highlight its rare quality: it keeps bad balloons for itself and improves them almost every time. In his style, rather ball of nerves, Antoine Dupont is a particle accelerator. Without forgetting its decisive tackles. He made another big impact in Cardiff. The third thief amazes by the accuracy of his foot, his accuracy of scorer (another 100%, as against England) and his composure to maneuver. He added a welcome interception that rocked the game. And earned him the man of the match honorary trophy. The hooker Julien Marchand and the pillar Cyril Baille deserve to be associated with these praises. A third of the team in red-and-black to the delight of the Blues.
Winning coaching on the front line
Little by little, the team is growing. On the first line, the three entries were noticed. Camille Chat, in relay of an impeccable Julien Marchand, brought his passion, his percussion, his crazy dog side, tearing off some hot balls, including the last of the match. For his first selection, the very promising Jean-Baptiste Gros, who entered the baton of an injured Baille from the break, confirmed all the good that his coaches thought of him. The Toulon pillar, two-time world champion under 20, stalled the fray and weighed in the ground game. Not at all impressed by the context. Finally Demba Bamba, author of two missed in-game entries against England and then Italy, caught up. While the Blues suffered on a series of scrum in the 22 - which earned a yellow card to Mohamed Haouas, the Lyon pillar, as soon as returned, made speak his power, pushing the left side of the Welsh building to harvest a precious penalty. “We had told him, during the week, that we are on the ground what we are in life. He understood that when he came into play, he had to be loyal, honest and committed. The result is exceptional, ”savored Raphaël Ibanez, the manager of the XV de France. “The contribution of the bench was decisive, also welcomed the captain, Charles Ollivon. The entrants have done us a lot of good. ”
Dan Biggar survives unscathed
We were worried about him. Victim against Ireland of his third concussion in five months, the Welsh opener risked the worst during this terribly committed meeting. But he came out without damage. Even succeeding in some class gestures and registering an essay. It happened this time; But the controversy will swell again to its first knockout. We can all the more worry for him that another Welsh often victim of concussions (more than a dozen) has suffered another one. In the fight for an air balloon with Gaël Fickou, George North had to leave the field in the 12th minute. More and more worrying for the future of man…
Scratches
Teddy Thomas increasingly indefensible
His defensive errors are seen more and more in comparison with the constant presence of his teammates in this sector. The racing winger is in a bad position, has to come back daredare to try to make up for his blunders, forget to close his side, do not climb fast enough, misses his tackles. Consequence, or not, Teddy Thomas was released in the 65th minute, when the pressure of the Welsh were getting stronger. “It is not easy to play the wing in this system. Teddy is accustomed in club to function differently on the outsides, tried to minimize the coach, Fabien Galthié. His exit is above all a desire to pass with a 5 / 8th (a second opener according to the terminology of the Anglo-Saxons, Editor's note) to add more play to the foot in order to relieve our midfield. What Matthieu Jalibert did very well. ” And come to the support of his wingman in delicacy. “Teddy wins the duel in the air which rocks the first try. He has two chances on the game of the foot but he has no success. He is part of our team, he is very important. " At the time of confiding, Teddy Thomas displayed an imperturbable face, letting nothing show of his real feelings. "I don't know if it's a sanction. The main thing is the team, not the individual. If the coaches felt that the replacement was necessary to maintain this advantage on the score, it must be accepted, that's how it was, commented the Racingman. We are a group. There is no animosity. We just have to get back to work on Thursday. If I remake part of this group obviously… ”A little doubt would it arise?
Welsh bad players
Disputes with the referee, clashes, unwelcome words, to argue or get angry. The Welsh, not used to losing in their lair, did not live well to be dominated by these young French them who, at kickoff, aligned the most experienced team in the history of the Tournament (859 selections). The Red Devils did not appreciate, among other things, the decision of the English referee not to grant them a penalty try on the decisive tackle from Willemse unfortunately accompanied by a forward. Deemed involuntary by Mr. Carley. A frustration that was manifested, at the final whistle, by the start of a general fight. Not to their credit.
The XV of France loses Cyril Baille
Since the start of the Tournament, the Toulouse left pillar had proved to be essential. Good held in close melee, present in defense but also an excellent ball handler capable of creating differences by his passes in the attack line. So much quality that had earned him to be preferred to Jefferson Poirot. Unfortunately, Cyril Baille saw his Tournament end in Cardiff. Victim of a right shoulder dislocation, we will not see him again for a few weeks. A big loss for the XV of France.
Read also
- Les Bleus notes: Dupont and Ntamack, a solid gold hinge
- XV of France: a team was born in Cardiff