France enters the competition on Sunday February 5 against Italy in a Six Nations Tournament (February 4 to March 18) which remains a goal in its own right for the Blues, eight months from “their” World Cup which will be held in France from September 8 to October 28.
On paper, the poster seems unbalanced. Italy, only one victory in the Six Nations since 2015 and good last of the 2022 edition, welcomes Sunday in Rome the XV of France, which remains on a streak of 13 consecutive victories. But beware of the superiority complex for the Blues who benefit from the status of favorite of the competition.
“No debate”
“ Rugby is a combat sport, if you do not put the required intensity, you can be surprised. If France puts its game in place, there will be no debate against Italy which is a much less important nation. But the Italians always deploy a lot of energy against the French, beware of the trap match “, warns Mathieu Blin, former hooker of the Stade Français and consultant on Canal +, broadcaster of the Top 14. The message seems to have passed through the French ranks. ” We saw the matches that the Italians played last year, they improved a lot: it will perhaps be our most important match, because we can’t lose it, we mustn’t have to regret the points (lost to them) at the end “, underlined the second line Paul Willemse, facing the press.
Grand Slam winners last year, the Blues seem driven by their ambitions, displayed publicly: to retain their title and chain a second clear round – which would be unprecedented in the Six Nations – while the world championship is looming this fall, disputed on French soil. ” We are all 100% focused on the Tournament. We will have time to focus on the World Cup after “warned tricolor scrum-half Antoine Dupont at a press conference. Mathieu Blin agrees and stresses the importance of such a competition, even in a World Cup year: ” The Six Nations is a historic tournament and a reference in the northern hemisphere. It’s a goal in its own right. “.
Final before time
For this start of the tournament, the French have decided to prepare the opening match against Italy as a whole as well as that against Ireland, also played away a week later. A final before the hour against the other great scarecrow of the tournament. ” Ireland is the must of the northern hemisphere and a necessary step towards final victory », introduces Mathieu Blin.
First nation in the world, the XV of Clover lived an extraordinary year 2022, embellished with two historic victories against New Zealand. But Ireland remains on a defeat against the Blues (24-30), last year at the Stade de France. The teammates of the indestructible captain Johnny Sexton will therefore be revengeful on Saturday February 11 in Dublin and the Blues are prepared for it, like Paul Willemse, the Montpellier native of South African origin: “ We already have an eye on Ireland, it will be a meeting against the best in the world and it will hit even harder than before (…) we expect a brutal match “.
A brutal and decisive match in the course of the France team, which can increase its series of invincibility to 18 games at the end of the tournament, up to the historic record jointly held by the English and the New Zealanders. A performance that would definitely place Fabien Galthié’s men as favorites of ” their » worldwide, next fall.