Benjamin Kayser
IT WAS an extremely positive Six Nations for France. However disappointed we were by the Scottish result, let’s never forget that for the last ten years we’ve been crying out about the level of performance, complaining about the fact that nobody was shooting in the same direction.
We saw some fantastic young players perform. We saw a great captain in Charles Ollivon, who showed a huge amount of leadership – you need big shoulders to handle the pressure. And that was all summed up by crowds coming back again. The media were finally positive and there are also signs that the Top 14 and the federation are starting to build together.
France exceeded even my expectations, if I’m being totally honest. So let’s not be French about it! We were super happy for three weeks and then we’re back at moaning. No, things are going the right way. Things are starting to build. People need to comprehend the amount of changes that occurred in a very, very short time. As Fabien Galthié keeps repeating, we did this in four games after just 15 training sessions. Bearing in mind you can’t do much without the players and they still transformed the team in around four months, that’s a massive achievement.
However, we’re not the next world champions… yet. We’re far from the top three in the world but we’re on our way. What really surprised me was a couple of very brave, gutsy selection calls from the French coaches.
I had big doubts about the full-back Anthony Bouthier because last year he was playing second-division rugby and only had ten Top 14 games under his belt by France’s first game. He started against England, in front of 80,000 people, under a huge amount of stress. I was scared. And he delivered. He’s been sturdy. He’s not the most exciting player maybe but he’s reliable. He definitely fits the international criteria.
Then there’s the tighthead, Mohamed Haouas. I thought he’d be more of an impact player but he also did well, apart from the red card. And I had massive doubts over the giant Paul Willemse. He is a monster of a dude but I thought he wasn’t fit enough for Test rugby.
But I was in Cardiff and he absolutely killed it. He had a great game against Wales. He outperformed every lock in front of him and when you play against Alun Wyn Jones, that’s a big thing to say. Individually and collectively, they didn’t deliver such a performance in Murrayfield, but they proved that putting big belief behind talented young players can have fantastic outcomes.
You don’t need to be a genius to see how much Shaun Edwards’s influence changes how France play. The defensive system is completely different and worked beautifully for three games. Of course it backfired against Scotland. We lost the plot and this is a young team – you need composure.
Against Scotland, problems were piling and then guys were leaving the system, trying to save the country on their own.
And that’s the flip side of that system. It does not tolerate individualism. If one guy leaves the system, it collapses. That game was the first time that they went in as favourites too, and it backfired.
It will be key to get this group together again as soon as possible but with match cancellations due to Covid-19 and with the French rugby calendar, we’ve not got enough rugby time.
Things are looking up. Galthié’s got 42 players who were involved during the Six Nations and he’ll have them for two weeks before they depart for Argentina for the summer tour. That normally won’t happen. Maybe things will be shuffled due to coronavirus, but let’s see.
I do think the French guys need to digest and swallow what happened during the Six Nations. We’d have loved a Grand Slam, or to say we’ve won it, but we’ve waited years for positives.