A first final for the Blues.
After starting this 2022 Six Nations Tournament with an improved victory each (37-10 for France against Italy, 29-7 for Ireland against Wales), the XV of France and that of Clover meet this Saturday (5:45 p.m. at the Stade de France) for a sold-out summit duel.
The coach of the Blues Fabien Galthié returned to a press conference on the stakes of this shock and justified his team composition.
This match against Ireland, is it already the summit of the Tournament?
FABIEN GALTHIE.
It's going to be a solid match, Ireland come in with a winning streak, with the status of number one in Europe and number three in the world so they're the best European opponents at the moment.
They come to Paris with the ambition like us to snatch a victory.
Clearly, Saturday, we will touch the top, we will touch the sublime.
It will go high.
Our adversary is rather very admired by the followers so all this gives us the obligation, the will and the conviction to raise our cursor at all levels.
You have chosen to beef up your pack, with Cros in the third row and six forwards on the bench, is it to meet the Irish physical challenge?
We are preparing for a tough opponent.
We have a guarantor, we are preparing to oppose them with our French harshness, a Gallic harshness.
We have a front five on the bench which is fresh, which is stamping its hoof, which is ready to enter the second period, to bring its very compact energy.
They will allow us to win this second period, during the last twenty minutes, with all their determination and we intend to let them go in the Stade de France with everything they will bring.
Irish second line Ryan said he wanted to "silence the Stade de France", which will be sold out.
What do you answer him?
It's something that we hear, that we will take into account and that will be shared with the team... Knowing that what we want is not to reduce the Stade de France to silence , is to experience intense emotion with our supporters, to share a sublime moment, the match will be at this level and we will be too.
The Irish will be without Johnny Sexton.
What does it change for you?
Joey Carbery
(his replacement for the position of N.10, editor's note)
, we met him last year during our match in Dublin, he is a player that we know.
The Irish team is very structured, they have a very laid back game plan.
They will remain on the same background, offensive and defensive, despite the absence of Johnny Sexton.
Why did you establish Yoram Moefana (21 years old, 3 selections) in the center next to Gaël Fickou?
He is a player we followed when he was with the under-20s, then who played well with Bordeaux.
We called him with us to prepare for the Autumn Cup in 2020. We established him quite naturally.
He was already imposing, naturally, without forcing, with shyness.
We saw its potential.
We couldn't take him with us to Australia (in July 2021) because he was injured.
Since then, he has performed with his club.
He trained with us in November.
He is ready, physically, technically, psychologically.
And he will be surrounded by a whole group, so that he can express all his talent, because he has a lot of it.