French must find their joie de vivre

CARDIFF : France must rediscover their joie de vivre if they are to stand a chance of winning Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand, according to a member of the coaching team who helped Les Bleus to the 2011 final.

Didier Retiere, the 2011 forwards coach who is now technical director at the French Rugby Federation, says France need the same approach that helped them to shrug off the pressure of a stuttering pool phase four years ago to find a new lease of life in the knockout rounds.

Les Bleus, who came agonisingly close to lifting the trophy in an 8-7 defeat against the All Blacks, have had a similar start to the tournament this year after a below-par performance in losing 24-9 to Ireland in their final pool match.

“All the players must question themselves, reflect on the little mistakes that we saw against Ireland, and get back on their feet,” Retiere said.

“They must not necessarily always be thinking about the game plan… it lacks spontaneity.”

For all their defensive qualities, France have often found salvation in attack, where their unpredictability has caused a few upsets. “The players need to be more natural. It is good to have a game plan, but let’s avoid thinking too much about it and asking 50 000 questions. We must first play rugby,” Retiere explained.

In 2011 France lost their last two pool games against New Zealand and Tonga, but scraped into the knockout phase and a showdown with England for a place in the last four.

“If the players let go, they will be able to reproduce what they have been doing so well in training… Nobody believes we can win, but there is always a flicker of hope, and I’m sure a lot of French people can see it,”said Retiere. – Reuters