All-change as France try 30 sets of half-backs
In the small matter of three weeks France have gone through almost as many fractured relationships as Zsa Zsa Gabor managed during a lifetime of collecting husbands. It takes a lot to keep coming up with different half-back combinations match after match, year after year, but they were at it again in Marseilles on Friday night when the tournament circus pitched the big top on the Mediterranean. The Six Nations can never have known a seven-year itch like this.
When it comes to forming new partnerships and discarding previous ones long before they have had time to grow old, nobody does it with the same mindboggling frequency as the French. In fact nobody comes even remotely close.
Over the last seven Championships, England have operated on the fewest number of half-back combinations, eight, one fewer than Wales and two fewer than Ireland. France have gone through almost four times as many.
The advent of yet another uncapped scrum-half against Italy on Friday night, Baptiste Couilloud from Lyon, brought their number of different combinations for this season’s tournament alone to seven and 30 during their last 34 championship matches.
In that time they have capped no fewer than 20 different players: 11 scrum-halves, nine fly-halves. Injuries, of course, have taken their toll, most notably Camille Lopez’s broken leg and the smashed knee that finished Matthieu Jalibert’s season against Ireland as a direct consequence of his first exposure to Bundee Aki.
The whirring sound of the revolving door has more to do with the failure of successive French management regimes to show any lasting faith in the majority of those selected. Very few have lasted long enough to get a run of any sorts, let alone a decent one.
They haven’t had a settled pair since Morgan Parra and Francois Trinh-Duc in 2010 which coincided with the last Gallic Grand Slam, achieved by a combination of their goals in the final match, a 12-10 home win over England.
The ever-changing French half-back kaleidoscope:
This year: Francois Trinh-Duc-Baptise Couilloud (v Italy); Lionel Beauxis-Jean-Baptiste Serin (v Scotland); Beauxis-Maxime Machenaud (v Scotland); Anthony Belleau-Serin (v Scotland); Belleau-Antoine Dupont (v Ireland); BelleauMachenaud (v Ireland); Matthieu JalibertMachenaud (v Ireland)
Last year: Camille Lopez-Serin; Lopez-Machenaud; Lopez-Dupont; Jean-Marc Doussain-Machenaud.
2016: Jules Plisson-Nicholas Bezy; Plisson-Machenaud; Francois Trinh-DucMachenaud
2015: Lopez-Rory Kockott; Lopez-Morgan Parra; Plisson-Sebastian Tillous-Borde; Lopez-TillousBorde; Plisson-Rory Kockott
2014: Plisson-Doussain; Remi Tales-Machenaud; Plisson-Machenaud; Remi Tales-Doussain
2013: Frederic Michalak-Machenaud; Trinh-Duc-Parra; Michalak-Parra; Trinh-DucMachenaud
2012: Trinh-Duc-Dimitri Yachvili; Beauxis-Yachvili; Beauxis-Julien Dupuy TOTAL: 30
Half-back combinations over the same period for the other Six Nations’ countries:
ENGLAND – 8: George Ford-Ben Youngs, FordDanny Care, Owen Farrell-Care, Farrell-Ben Youngs, Toby Flood- Care, Charlie HodgsonYoungs, Farrell-Lee Dickson, Flood- Youngs.
IRELAND – 9: Johnny Sexton-Conor Murray; Joey Carbery-Kieran Marmion; Paddy JacksonMurray; Sexton- Marmion; Ian Keatley- Murray; Sexton-Eoin Reddan; Sexton-Tomas O’Leary, Ronan O’Gara- O’Leary. WALES – 10: Dan Biggar-Gareth Davies; Gareth Anscombe-Aled Davies; Anscombe-Davies; Rhys Patchell- Davies; Biggar-Rhys Webb; Rhys Priestland-Mike Phillips; Priestland-Rhys Webb; Dan Biggar-Mike Phillips, Stephen Jones-Mike Phillips, James Hook- Phillips.
SCOTLAND – 12: Finn Russell-Greig Laidlaw; Laidlaw-Ali Price: Russell- Price; Duncan WeirLaidlaw, Peter Horne- Laidlaw; Ruaridh JacksonLaidlaw, Dan Parks-Chris Cusiter; Chris CusiterLaidlaw, Mike Blair- Laidlaw, Dan Parks-Rory Lawson, Ruaridh Jackson-Mike Blair, JacksonLawson.
ITALY – 12: Tommaso Allan-Marcello Violi; Tommaso Allan-Edoardo Gori; Carlo CannaEdoardo Gori; Kelly Haimona-Edoardo Gori; Tommaso Allan-Guigliermo Palazzani; Edoardo Padovani-Guigliermo Palazzani, Luciano OrqueraTito Tebaldi, Luciano Orquera-Tobie Botes, Kyle Burton-Edoardo Gori, Luke McLeanTobie Botes, Kyle Burton-Fabio Semenzato, Luciano OrqueraFabio Semenzatto.
“Whirring sound of revolving door is caused by failure of successive French management regimes”