Bad blood makes France-argentina a spicy meeting

Opposing coaches fell out while at Montpellier Losing team faces tough task to qualify from pool

in Yokohama

It promises to be a feisty, fullblooded encounter between France and Argentina in the other Pool C match in Tokyo today. And that is just on the touchline.

While England’s rivals in the socalled Group of Death will “go to war” with one another on the pitch, to use the description of France prop Jefferson Poirot yesterday, it could be just as lively off it.

Bad blood between France’s assistant coach, Fabien Galthie, and Argentina’s head coach, Mario Ledesma, has provided a fascinating sub-plot to the match.

The pair have reportedly not spoken to each other since working together at Montpellier five years ago.

Back then, Ledesma was the young assistant, having just finished his playing career and done a short coaching stint with Stade Francais in Paris.

The Argentine joined Galthie at Montpellier in 2012, but the two did not hit it off.

“Fabien’s management style did not chime with Mario’s philosophy,” former international lock Thibaut Privat said this week. “When we got into difficulty in the autumn in 2014, there were a couple of problems. That’s when the disagreements between them started to be voiced more loudly.”

The tension inevitably spilt over to the dressing room and matters really came to a head following a shock 25-10 home defeat by Brive, when Ledesma and hooker Charles Geli had to be pulled apart.

A delegation of players went to the president, billionaire Mohed Altrad, who decided Ledesma had to go. To the Argentine’s fury, Galthie did not stand by his assistant.

Privat, who was a player for Montpellier at the time, said he could understand why Ledesma felt betrayed. “It is a surprise to see the deputy kicked out instead of the head coach,” he added. “Often, it is the latter that is sacrificed.”

The match hardly needs any extra spice, of course. Whoever loses faces an almighty task to qualify from the group, meaning there is huge pressure on both teams.

Argentina have lost nine straight games heading into the match, although three of those defeats were by six points or less to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa this year.

Fly-half Nicolas Sanchez said he hoped Ledesma’s in-depth knowledge of French rugby – and Galthie’s tactics in particular – would make a difference. “He has played many games against them and he knows how they prepare, what they have in their heads before this type of game,” Sanchez said. “He’s worked with Galthie. All these things count.”

France, meanwhile, have placed their trust in youth, gambling on 20-year-old Romain Ntamack – son of former France international Emile – at fly-half despite the fact that he did not figure there much for Toulouse last season.

Ntamack will start alongside scrum-half Antoine Dupont, who is only two years his senior and who was chosen ahead of the experienced Maxime Machenaud.

Whoever wins, Ledesma did not sound as if he was ready to bury the hatchet with his old boss quite yet.

“I don’t know if we will bump into each other or not,” he said evasively at yesterday’s eve-of-match press conference. “I think we will both be in the stands. But I don’t know if we will see each other before or after the match.”