After a thrilling France-England (24-17), we are not going to say that the meeting against Italy sowed doubt. But the gusts of wind that sometimes transformed the Stade de France into Breton beaches on a stormy day slightly cooled the atmosphere. As much as the victory against the English had allowed a new era to dawn and delighted the general public, the one against the Transalpines (35-22) reminded us that there was still work to be done.
"We are first, it has not happened for a long time," smiles Grégory Alldritt, author of his first international essay on Sunday. It hadn't happened since… 2010 and, at the end of the line, France had achieved that year the Grand Slam, the last to date.
Before talking about a final victory, the coach was satisfied with the balance sheet. "Our goal is to win the matches," said Fabien Galthié. So, are their young Blues on the right track or should we worry about mistakes in the face of a selection that has just recorded its 23rd consecutive defeat in Six Nations? Explanations.
What works well
The XV of France has accustomed us to set foot on the floor. Against England, Vincent Rattez had scored the first try very quickly (6th). This time, Racingman Teddy Thomas played the detonators (7th) soon joined by his captain Charles Ollivon (18th). Galthié expected progress in offensive animation after the shortages in this glimpsed field against England.
It was understood since with five tries, the Blues pocket the offensive bonus. Let's be honest, the French have never trembled. And the essays by Ntamack and Serin, who took the place of Dupont, consecrate a perfectly orchestrated attack movement for the first (59th) and a well-felt opportunism for the second (74th). "It's nice to have smiles in the locker room, we have to keep that state of mind", recognizes Romain Taofifénua.
Manager Raphaël Ibanez adopted the positive attitude. “We feel that we are building and that we are moving forward. Looking coldly at things is a very good start to the tournament. All of this must give us the confidence to progress, while being aware of the points for improvement. "
What needs to be improved
After what Fabien Galthié described as an “almost perfect” start punctuated by two tests, the XV of France experienced a first air hole of ten minutes. Ten minutes that Italy will use to pick up the score (13-10). It is badly paid for Blues then dominating in the wake of the second line Paul Willemse with devastating percussions.
"At some point, we should have pushed the knife a little more," admits Captain Ollivon. Not enough killers these Blues? "We lacked lucidity, we must be cooler and more lucid in the brand area," said pillar Cyril Baille, recalling that he and his teammates still consider themselves "in training" at the highest international level.
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
More worrying, however, the empty passage was repeated again after the break. Undisciplined, dominated in impact, the Blues lost a bit of the game and spent a lot of time in their own half. The two touches with throw to follow badly negotiated five meters from the Italian in-goal illustrate this lack of realism. “It's good, it gives us lines of work for the rest, puts the third line François Cros into perspective. We did not make the perfect match and we are all aware that we have to progress if we want to hope for a positive result in Wales. "