For the Blues, Friday night at the Stade de France, this Tournament ended a bit like blood sausage.
Brice Dulin who, after the siren, forgets to clear the ball in touch and it is France who ends up losing their last match in the last second against the Scots (23-27).
This breathtaking end of the match symbolizes quite well a fairly open 2021 Six Nations edition which, despite this ultimate disappointment, has finished reconciling France with its Blues and confirmed both the potential and the margin of progress of the gang in Ollivon. .
The tournament has come to an end, despite the waffle.
We will thank our Blues for adding a little suspense to an already indecisive situation by bursting the health bubble around the Tournament.
But overall, apart from this controversy which led to many cases of Covid-19 within the XV of France and the postponement of France-Scotland, the tournament went almost normally.
Which was, remember, not obvious at the end of January when the English variant raised fears of total isolation of the British Isles.
Further proof that bubble sport can work.
As long as it is respected, of course.
Five nations in a handkerchief.
With the exception of the Italy games, all the games have been thrilling.
Wales, although dying in 2020, wins the Tournament and the Triple Crown by beating the other three nations of the British Isles.
England, vice-world champion, crack at home for the first time since 1983 in front of Scotland, which itself loses twice at home, but wins for the first time in 22 years in France.
And the aging Ireland gets rid of Scotland anyway and punishes the English.
You don't understand anything?
So much the better!
The level of nations is incredibly homogeneous.
"All the confrontations were very bitter, very intense, and were often played on the last action", notes Fabien Galthié.
Where we could hope for a XV of France above given his potential, he is finally at the same level as his opponents.
Too bad for the Grand Slam and even the victory, expected since 2010 by the Blues, but so much the better for the suspense.
In a heavy health context, the Six Nations Tournament was one of the good moments in sport at the start of the year.
Can not wait for next year.
But preferably without the restrictions of Covid-19.
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France-Scotland (23-27): "This failure can leave traces", believes Pierre Berbizier
Italy doesn't have much to do there.
We make the numbers say what we want, of course, but these still say a lot: five defeats in five games, -181 point-average points, 6 tries scored for 34 conceded.
We do not know if Italy has already really been at the level of the Six Nations Tournament, but we are pretty sure that its current generation has nothing to do there, except take roustes.
“They are the victims of the tournament, swung a few weeks ago the former Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan.
We're going nowhere with them.
Everyone said we had to give them time, but it's been 21 years and it's getting worse and worse.
OK, but once you've said that, what to do?
The only credible solution would be to promote the winner of Tournament B, Georgia.
It remains to be seen that the Georgians are better than the Italians ...
France loves (again) its Blues.
"The Voice" lost its voice.
During the match against Wales, France 2 gathered more than 6 million viewers, thus beating the TF1 show in terms of ratings.
Same feat despite the defeat against Scotland on Friday: 7.7 million viewers followed the match, with a peak of 8.7 million, far ahead of “Koh-Lanta”!
Proof that the XV of France, after years of unpopularity, has returned to the hearts of the French.
“This team, we want to see what it offers on a field each time, explained to the Parisian Laurent-Eric Le Lay, the sports boss of France Televisions.
These meetings attract far beyond the fans of rugby and show that major sporting events bring the French together.
When you have this interest, more of the spectacle, it gives very strong audiences.
This XV of France is also starting to have leading players, and therefore easily identifiable by the public.
"
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Almighty Galthie.
It could have ended badly, but he is finally more comforted than ever.
Fabien Galthié arrived in a strong position at the start of the Tournament, at the head of this promising young group with its victories in 2020. After the successes in Italy and then in Ireland, we are starting to talk to him about Grand Slam.
Then patatras: the coach of the Blues contracted the Covid, before 12 of his players, and is above all suspected of being at the origin, with at least one exit from the Marcoussis bubble.
France-Scotland is postponed and it rocks seriously among the Blues.
But the reason of state will come to the aid of Galthié: a timely medical report clears him and the government closes the case.
Even the two defeats in England and against Scotland do not change anything: Fabien Galthié will remain the strongman of the Blues who must lead them until the World Cup in 2023.
Super Dupont not yet master of the world.
It was the expected attraction of this Six Nations Tournament.
In France, but also abroad, the Dupont phenomenon is closely scrutinized.
“The best scrum-half in the world,” according to his English counterpart Ben Youngs, started with a bang with a try and two assists in Italy and a controlled game in Ireland.
Affected by the Covid, he returned probably tired and less dashing, even if "the Minister of the Interior" was there to plant two more tests, one for the English and one for the Welsh.
Not enough to finally offer a title to the Blues, but enough to remain the favorite player of the French.
While waiting to conquer the world by 2023.
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France-Scotland: the notes of the defeat of the Blues
The beautiful Louis Rees-Zammitt promise.
His test refused for a few centimeters could have sank the XV of France.
At just 20 years old, Welsh winger Louis Rees-Zammitt has boosted the game of an aging squad.
“Every time I get the ball in my hands my goal is to create something,” he told Wales Online.
Co-best scorer of the Tournament with four passages in the opposing goal, the young player from Gloucester - who could have played in the English jersey - has everything to be one of the sensations of the 2023 World Cup.
The tackle-Koala in the in-goal, the decisive gesture of the Tournament.
What if the Tournament had been played on a player turned over like a pancake behind the try line?
Defense on the goal line was one of the keys to the Tournament "final" between France and Wales.
An increasingly busy sector.
"It is part of the technical background of the player now", supports the former third international line of Clermont, Alexandre Audebert.