French feelgood factor is shortlived
French rugby really should still be basking in the moral-winners’ glow of last Sunday’s Autumn Nations’ Cup final – but, these days, reality comes at you harder than a Georgian prop at an attacking 5m scrum.
For a brief moment, though, France basked. Comeback king Brice Dulin was named player of the tournament. The rugby Press ran back-slapping pieces – one highlighting the relative strengths of France’s ‘First XV’, its ‘replacements XV’ and its ‘substitutes XV’ was a particular favourite.
Pundits fell over themselves competing to rain plaudits on everyone and anyone connected with France’s squads. Those English Press ‘farce’ headlines were gently mocked. The gloire shone all around, and was – if headlines in New Zealand are anything to go by – noticed as far away as the southern hemisphere.
And Six Nations’ Grand Slam dreams were dreamt, as France coach Fabien Galthie – in a pointed barb at the clubs – called the national side the ‘shop window’ of French rugby live on post-match TV.
But, within days of that sonear, so-far, loser-takes-most match at Twickenham, its referee Andrew Brace was pulled from a Champions Cup match in Toulouse later this month following online abuse from French trolls, Top 14 clubs heard bad news from the French Prime Minister, and the old club-v-country row roared back at the top of the rugby agenda.
Brace had been due to referee the repeat of October’s Champions Cup semi-final between Toulouse and Exeter on Sunday, December 20, at Stade Ernest Wallon. But a torrent of shameful abuse – some of it on an online obituary for his father – prompted European Professional Club Rugby, which organises the two European competitions, to switch him to Wasps v Montpellier, with Mike Adamson heading to Toulouse instead.
The on-pitch officials and the TMO made game-deciding errors last weekend, that’s undeniable. And the crowd groaning at a decision during a game goes with the territory – they’re very good at that sort of thing in France.
But there’s no excuse – nothing that approaches the same far-away galaxy in which you might find even a hint of a solitary particle of an excuse – for the online vitriol Brace has endured this past week.
While it particularly shames those who typed out the words, it should also have the rest of us shaking our heads. Rugby regularly places itself on the moral high ground with its self-congratulatory ‘respect’ clarion, as if those who participate or watch in other sports don’t do exactly the same thing. What happened online this week demonstrates the exact opposite.
You may recall that, a couple of weeks ago, there was a hint of a light at the end of France’s lockdown games-played-behindclosed-doors tunnel.
At the end of November, Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu said that she hoped to be able to allow at least some fans into grounds from December 15, the date that France was due to enter the second phase of its second confinement exit strategy.
That statement brought some winter warmth to Top 14 and ProD2 club presidents. Quietly, preparations began to reopen doors that have been closed since October.
But it’s not going to happen. This week France’s Prime Minister Jean Castex declared stadiums would not reopen as
hoped because Covid-19 infection numbers were not falling quickly enough. It was one of a number of decisions – including a nationwide 8pm to 6am curfew order – that will last until early January.
Lyon president Yann Roubert spoke for all clubs when he said: “It is complicated for... all the clubs – and we include our partners and supporters who we miss every game.
“When we play rugby, it’s to share the emotions that go with it. We can’t wait to welcome everyone (back), but there are things we have no control over. We can only take care of what concerns us, namely rugby, playing well and winning to bring a little smile in this fog.”
He added that the financial pinch was being felt across the board. “We have made efforts and we will have to make others because we will not get out (of this) without courage, without help and without solidarity.”
It must be said, solidarity
with the national set-up is lacking after the Autumn Internationals.
Galthie, who was as excitedly bouncy as a kid on Christmas Eve when he spoke to France 2’s pitchside reporter Cecile Gres at half-time last Sunday, wasted little time voicing his hopes that he will be able to call-up 42 players for his 2021 Six Nations training squads.
There’s not so much confidence among the clubs, who met on Thursday to discuss – among other things – player release for the 2021 Six Nations.
No official news has come out of the gathering but it has been noted, for example, that France did pretty well in the extended Autumn International period with a 31-player limit.
Nor had some taken kindly to how Galthie stuck to the letter of the three-selections agreement by holding on to key players for an extra week after the game against Fiji was cancelled.
The RMC Sport website has claimed that clubs may be willing to split the difference and allow him to call up 34 or 35 players from the Top 14 and make up the shortfall to 42 with members of the national U20s and Sevens set-up, or by raiding the ProD2.
Given the successful integration of France 7s stars Jean-Pascal Barraque and Gabin Villere in the XVs squad, and the repeated selection of young Oyonnax back row Sacha Zegueur, there may be some merit in that idea.
But there’s definitely no merit in the frankly barmy suggestion that he should name his matchday 23 some ten days out from the game, so that nonselected players have time to reintegrate into their club set-up.
In truth, discussions are far from over and fireworks are likely before February. As the media regularly say in France,
to be continued.
“Club v country row roared back at top of agenda after bad news from PM Castex”