Did these Blues, winners on Saturday evening against England in Lyon (33-31), thrill you?
We will have to wait a little longer before seeing them on the ground.
After this mixed Six Nations Tournament, which started very badly but ended well, the players of the French XV will return to their respective clubs this week.
Top 14 and European Cups will be on the menu until June, before the next international gathering this summer.
A tour to Argentina is in fact planned for the beginning of July, with two test matches against the Pumas: July 6 in Mendoza then 13 in Buenos Aires.
For these meetings across the Atlantic against the semi-finalists of the last World Cup, Fabien Galthié will leave, as often in summer, with a completely renewed squad.
Exit, already, the finalists of the Top 14: the Bouclier de Brennus will be played in Marseille on June 28 and the players from the two clubs who will compete in it will not go on tour.
One match in Uruguay, another in Bilbao
In addition to this calendar constraint, the coach of the Blues will also have many of his executives taking a breather, on deck almost non-stop for a year and the start of preparation for the World Cup.
We should expect a large squad review, especially since the French XV will leave with a group of 42 players.
It remains to arbitrate the case of several promising young people under the age of 20.
Fabien Galthié could select some of them (we are thinking of Posolo Tuilagi in particular), to the detriment of the U20 selection which will defend its world title at the same time (June 29-July 19 in South Africa).
At the same time, the Blues staff have planned two matches with a reserve team, “France Développement”, which will not count for a real international cap.
According to “Sud-Ouest”, this selection, initially of 28 players, will play against a world selection on June 22 in Bilbao (Spain).
Then they will be included in the group of 42 on tour in Argentina, and opposed to Uruguay, on July 10 in Montevideo, between the two official matches against the Pumas.
Antoine Dupont expected with the Blues in November
The big return of the “premium” XV of France, moreover in its garden at the Stade de France, is planned for November.
Three test matches are planned at the Saint-Denis venue, deprived of rugby since the last World Cup, due to work for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Blues will start by facing Japan on November 9, then New Zeeland on November 16 and Argentina again on November 23.
These autumn tests should also correspond to the return of Antoine Dupont, absent from the French XV since the World Cup, and who will have finished with his Olympic adventure with rugby sevens. to the All Blacks, vice-world champions, beaten by the Blues in their last two matches at the Stade de France, in November 2021 (40-25) and for the opening of the 2023 World Cup (27-13).
Incidentally, the return to the Stade de France in November will be good for the finances of the FFR, if all 80,000 seats are sold.
Exile far from Saint-Denis during the Tournament, in Marseille, Lille and Lyon, caused a loss of 2 million euros per match in ticketing and hospitality, explained the president of the FFR Florian Grill a few weeks ago.
The program of the XV of France in 2024
Argentina-France, July 6 in Mendoza
Argentina-France, July 13 in Buenos Aires
France-Japan, November 9 at the Stade de France
France - New Zealand, November 16 at the Stade de France
France-Argentina, November 23 at the Stade de France