Murrayfield is engraved in full on the door. Voluntary wink? Two days after their defeat in the stadium of the same name in Edinburgh against Scotland (28-17), Fabien Galthié, the coach of the Blues, and Raphaël Ibanez, their manager, took place in this living room of the training center in Marcoussis (Essonne) to take stock of the first four games of the Six Nations Tournament. The last, which was to take place at the Stade de France against Ireland this Saturday, has in fact been postponed until the fall, just before the November tour, due to the epidemic of coronavirus which is progressing in France.
Basically, we won't know what the two men really think, a two-headed duo at the controls of the Tricolores. Are they satisfied with having revived in the space of three games (victories against England 24-17, Italy 35-22, and Wales 27-23) a dying France XV, or frustrated to have finished on a big question mark in Scotland?
Galthié retains "these unimaginable emotions and images"
No answer. Or if, a string of vaporous words and statistics so sharp that one wonders what the players themselves get from it ... "What predominates are these seven weeks of enchantment," said Galthié. These unimaginable emotions and images. These parties with drinks with a high degree of alcohol, fortunately that nutritionists have slowed us down… ”
We will pass over the meters covered at more than 18 km / h by the front five, the amount of blood sugar that seems to be missing in the Blues during the second half. Raphaël Ibanez, for his part, finally let go: “Our main satisfaction is that the living environment that we have established is transferable to the field. "
Funny communication where the elements of language parasitize a reality which is not however ugly. The XV de France is still in the running to win the event, which has not happened since 2010.
31 players selected for the Argentina tour
Well, we will know all the same that the tricolor group spent the day analyzing its four-fifth of Tournament, that the players will be handed over this Wednesday to the clubs, that Raphaël Ibanez will accompany the pillar Mohamed Haouas, guilty of a red card for a punch in Murrayfield, this Wednesday morning in London and that he hopes for a not too severe sanction for his protégé.
The postponement of the match against Ireland? "It is a political subject that we do not deal with," replied Galthié, who then clarified the schedule of the Blues: two days of seminars with the coaches of Top 14, May 18, and those of Pro D 2, next day, 31 players selected for the July tour in Argentina (two tests on the 4th and the 11th), then in the fall, the chained receptions from Ireland, Georgia, Australia and finally the high point against South Africa, world champion. "With this program, we have the opportunity to reach the Top 3 worldwide," says Ibanez. This is our goal. This is concrete.