Fabien Gathié and his staff have already achieved a real tour de force. We no longer fear before each match of the XV of France a rout of the magnitude of those administered over the past ten years by the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies. Better yet, with a team of odds and ends, he gave back to the supporters the desire to believe in it against all rationality. This was the case last November at Twickenham, during the final of the autumn cup of nations, his team-bis only losing in sudden death. This was the case again last Wednesday in Brisbane, where it took a badly controlled touch on the edge of stoppage to let slip on the wire a victory in Australia that has been delayed since 1990.
Those who blame the culprits of this blunder soon forgot that it was the work of two players who honored their first selection, Racing scrum half Teddy Iribaren and USAP back, Melvyn Jaminet, who did not 'had until then evolved in… Pro D2!
Obviously we cannot demand the same mastery from them, the same composure as the usual holders.
Who, despite their great talent, have not done better in the recent past.
Conceding at the last Six Nations Tournament two defeats in the last seconds against England and then Scotland.
Don't make the same mistakes, get rid of that fatal feverishness
It is this recurrence that we are entitled to underline. If the coach, his meticulous assistants, his game plans that border on the miracle have restored pride and going to the XV of France, they must imperatively resolve this last weakness not to relive, again and again, these cruel disillusions . Staff and players, however, believe that, for the moment, these tragic endings are helping the France team to grow and learn. As long as you learn the lessons. Not to repeat the same mistakes, to get rid of this fatal feverishness.
Acting captain - Charles Ollivon is one of the twenty packages for this tour - Anthony Jelonch does not want to relive this bitterness this Tuesday noon (French time) in Melbourne for the second of the three rounds of the tour (last test Saturday in Brisbane ).
For six days, he harangues his troop, reminds them of the incredible opportunity to be seized to enter the history of the XV of France.
And affirms that he will give everything to show the example and the way to follow.
"I will do everything to make a great match and lead my team to victory", did not hesitate to promise the future Toulouse.
Inhabited, like his teammates, by a strong feeling of revenge.
Australia has not won a series of tests since that of 2014 against ... the XV of France
But, opposite, the Australians, are no less determined. Their victory on the wire against this team of France bis only earned them criticism on the Île-Continent. It must have been a walk in the park. It was a laborious chase, the Blues having always led in the score until these damn stoppages. They too need to restore their image. For ten years, the Wallabies have been winning, seeing New Zealanders and South Africans take off, each winning a world championship title. Sarcastic, the Australian press recalled the importance of this tour for the prestige in tatters of the Australian XV who has not won any competition or any series of matches since 2014 and a tour of the… XV of France, the England, in 2016, and Ireland in 2018,having confirmed the decline of the men in the gold jersey. Seven long years without major success. A weight that the Wallabies could get rid of on Tuesday without waiting for the third test.
