He is fidgeting.
Bend the knees and mime in the void the player who would tip over while trying to grab the ball.
"There, the referee penalizes you", explains Jérôme Garcès to the players of the XV of France gathered around him on the Nice training ground.
Since Monday, the former international referee has joined the staff of the Blues with a clear objective: to calm the ardor of these tricolors, all too often sanctioned to the taste of the staff during the last series of matches in the fall.
Judge for yourself: 16 penalties in 95 minutes against the English in December, 14 against the Irish only sanctioned seven times, and 16 against the Welsh to start hostilities in October.
"We must be in the annals", quipped the coach of the Blues Fabien Galthié, taking a look at the statistics after this success (38-21) against a team put at fault ... four times.
"The consequences are sometimes important in a match"
In short, there is no question for the staff to experience a similar Tournament.
“We put refereeing content into the training.
It was something that was sometimes understood in a way that was not precise enough for us, in our opinion, and the consequences are sometimes important in a match, ”Fabien Galthié stressed on Wednesday during the presentation of the Tournament.
In the role of the man with the whistle chosen to integrate the excessive supervision of the XV of France Jérôme Garcès therefore.
His last match?
The World Cup final between England and South Africa in November 2019. "This is our Mozart of refereeing," said Franck Maciello, the national technical director of refereeing.
Since then, Garcès had taken on the role of manager of professional referees in France.
Before switching this week to the management of the Blues.
"We must work with the referees, and not against"
Its mission: "to advance the players in the discipline, the understanding of the rules, the decision-making process of the referees", he explains in a video posted online by the FFR.
On the lawn, Jérôme Garcès reframes the Blues.
Outside, he has already attacked with the group the video analysis of the faults that the Blues could have avoided.
"It's superimportant to have him with us," greets third row Dylan Cretin.
It gives us feedback directly after the actions: what we did well, what we did wrong, etc.
It's cool to have direct feedback.
We have to work with the referees, and not against.
"Today, players are aware that we must work in this sector as we work the kick or the pass," said Garcès.
To avoid another match “in the annals” during the Tournament.
