The Blues play Saturday (3:15 p.m.), their second match in this Six Nations Tournament with the impressive Irish on their first outing in Cardiff.
Abused in Italy last weekend (29-24 victory), the Blues travel to Ireland for their second match in the Six Nations Tournament, Saturday February 11 at 3:15 p.m. (to follow live on France 2 and france.tv) . With the same starting team, a huge challenge awaits them at an impressive Clover XV in Cardiff on Saturday (34-10 success) and winner of 18 of its last 20 games.
Discipline, key factor
With 18 penalties conceded, the Blues displayed record indiscipline in Italy. “It’s just a warning”, wanted to play down the Gaël Fickou center on Wednesday. Nevertheless, this line of work was a priority in the preparation for the trip to Ireland. To beat the XV of Clover in the two previous clashes in the Tournament, the French had been sanctioned seven and nine times. “If we don’t rectify our level in this sector, we will lose fifteen, twenty or thirty points.”prophesied the coach of the French defense, Shaun Edwards.
Channeling their aggressiveness is all the more important as this Irish team, galvanized by their home crowd, should take penalties by hand or on the sidelines. Impressive on their balls carried in Wales (11 mauls won out of 11), they would inflict an intense physical challenge on the Blues, who showed shortcomings in this sector this fall.
The fight: who will win the battle of the rucks?
Among the slew of French fouls in Rome, 10 were conceded in scrimmages, including seven in the first act. Fabien Galthié had thus resigned himself, at the break, to prohibit his troops from putting “hands in the rucks”. Faced with the Irish not far from being imperial in this sector, it will not be necessary to scatter either. “VS’is tough, it’s clean, it plays well, it plays fast, it plays fair”listed the second line Thibaud Flament about the Greens.
Even amputated from its right pillar Tadhg Furlong, the Irish pack remains fierce. “It’s going to be a great showdown until the 80th minute.”schematized the French opener Romain Ntamack. Capable of chaining around fifteen phases of play before bending the Welsh defense on Saturday, the Irish will try to impose a similar pace on the Blues. Which will have to take advantage of the rare windows to scrape balloons.
A duel of experienced and complementary hinges
Jamison Gibson-Parks absent from the scrum, Ireland presents its historic and now septuagenarian hinge, composed of Conor Murray (33 years old) and Jonathan Sexton (37 years old). The two lads, sober but fair in the animation in Cardiff, will face the duo Antoine Dupont-Romain Ntamack, now the most capped hinge in the history of the Blues (22 associations). “They are players that we admire, who last over time and are still as efficient as ever.”praised Romain Ntamack in comments reported by AFP.
Antoine Dupont, more mobile and whimsical, will try to gain the upper hand over a more managerial counterpart. Sexton and Ntamack will engage in a duel in the running game. In Rome, the Frenchman shone in this area, offering two tries on a plateau to his teammates. As for the Leinster player, he will keep the tricolor rear Thomas Ramos under pressure by showering him with candles.
Patience as a key word
Extremely methodical during their long streaks of undermining Wales, the Irish know how to be patient. It will be a question, for the France team, of emerging unscathed from these long phases of play. Defensively, Ireland also has resources. Dominated territorially and in terms of possession by the Welsh in the second half, Andy Farrell’s players never really trembled. Better, they refocused after this weak time to register the bonus test in the last minutes.
In this game, France also has a guarantor. Accustomed to attacking hard and then faltering on the return from the locker room, the Blues have won three of their last four games thanks to tries at the end of the game. Their shock against South Africa in November showed it, the French also know how to undergo attacks close to their line without breaking.
