XV of France: Laporte "confident" for the tour in Australia this summer

"I'm confident.

Today the tour is scheduled.

Australians need revenue too, like us.

We hope to go there too because this team from France has never played against nations of the South for the moment.

It is one year old and it has never faced rugby in the Southern Hemisphere.

We can't wait to go there, ”Bernard Laporte told AFP.

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Global health crisis requires, the XV of France of Fabien Galthié has indeed not yet been able to confront the revealer of the nations of the Southern hemisphere, the tours of June and November 2020 having been canceled.

If conditions allow (fourteen on site, vaccinations?), The Blues are therefore supposed to compete in three tests (July 3, 10 and 17) against the Wallabies.

And, next fall, still under sanitary conditions, the All Blacks, Argentina, and perhaps South Africa, will travel to France.

We will then know at what level these Blues are really located.

As a reminder, France has lost nine of its last eleven confrontations against Australia and has not beaten since 2009 neither New Zealand (current series of 14 defeats), nor South Africa (7 defeats) ...

The Blues divided into two contingents to respect the fortnight?

Problem, today the Australian borders remain almost closed until further notice for travelers from abroad.

During the Australian Open (February 8-21), players, managers and journalists were also forced to observe a fortnight before the competition.

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“The question today is '' do we have to arrive fourteen days before? '' If that's it, we need a different organization than the one planned: the final of the Top 14 (

the 25 June, Editor's note

) being a week before the first match (of the Australian tour), the finalists could not play it.

Or we would have to go with the semi-finalists.

And then I have just seen that the Australians had reconfigured part of the country (

in Brisbane, editor's note

) ... "asks Bernard Laporte.

On the side of the tricolor staff, however, we wonder about the precise conditions of this fortnight.

If the players were to be confined in their rooms without the possibility of training, the risk would be too great, then, to compete in tests of such intensity ...

A confrontation between the Blues and the Lions in the event of cancellation of the summer tours?

“There is no plan B for the moment, however, warns the president of the FFR.

We have time but we could make friendly matches with northern nations, knowing that some would be reduced since their best players would be with the British and Irish Lions. "

Provided that their historic tour in South Africa to face the world champions is maintained.

If it were to be canceled, like that of the XV of France, a confrontation between the Blues and the Lions could be set up.

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