Ronan O’Gara: Are we watching the next world champions in Paris?
TOP MAN: France's scrum-half Antoine Dupont of Toulouse is the best nine in the world at the moment, believes Rona O'Gara. Picture: Rich Fury, World Rugby/Getty Images
You heard it here first. We may well be watching the 2023 Rugby World Cup champions at the Stade de France tomorrow night.
They will be in blue.
France are nowhere near the finished article, nor would be they need to be in the winter of 2020. There are back three issues, with another shake-up in that area necessitated tomorrow night, and the composition of the pack is under reconstruction.
They have lost Yoann Huget and the brilliant Maxime Medard. Anthony Bouthier and Vincent Rattez only finding his feet at test level. It’s one thing going forward but people must remember that half the game is about going backwards. The Irish camp know where to put the ball Saturday night.
But there are too many good indicators to ignore on and off the pitch.
Firstly, it’s a happy camp now, and more often than not in recent seasons, that hasn’t been the case. I remember at Racing 92 players going into national camp and being totally underwhelmed at the prospect.
Fabien Galthie has harmonised things and brought in a really good management team with the likes of Shaun Edwards, Laurent Labit and William Servat.
Almost as importantly, the French rugby community believes Les Bleus are on the way back. That is fundamental. I’ve never experienced a society where confidence plays such an underpinning part in everything, in their make-up.
What is generating this ? Well, we can say now that the best scrum-half in world rugby is a French man, Antoine Dupont. Comfortably in my opinion.
It is not only Dupont’s speed of thought but his speed of deed, putting that picture into action. When it's – ie, the game is unstructured – he is deadly.
He also has the benefit with France of that 8-9 connection with La Rochelle’s Greg Alldritt, whom he has played alongside since they were Under 9s.
We have addressed the formidable Virimi Vakatawa here before, a man vieing with Semi Radradra for the most destructive centre in the game. I mean ‘destructive’ in the creative sense.
That France have been forced to move Gael Fickou to the wing might actually work to Ireland’s advantage, as Vakatawa runs very good lines off him.
Dupont is beautifully matched by Romain Ntamack at half-back. Looking at him as a ten now, the possibilities three years hence are bountiful for the French.
There’s another simple factor. The French, and Galthie, are beginning to see the value of having a settled squad and partnerships on the pitch.
And the value of not tossing nascent talent onto the scrapheap at the first hint of brittleness. I can’t believe I am typing these words but with the talent coming through, with an improved structure, a settled management, and home advantage, France will take some stopping at the next World Cup.
Anyone who watched the speed of their attack against Wales last Saturday might even agree. When they turned it on, they simply blew them off the pitch.
At 10-0 down, I settled down to watch, intrigued, how they would handle the situation. But France won that game by 18 points from a -10 start. They put a fair bit of rugby distance between the two sides.
France are already on a pathway to 2023. Ireland and Andy Farrell aren’t thinking that far ahead. The new management team is finding its feet and presumably will change incrementally as they go.
They no longer have the detective’s mind of a Joe Schmidt to spot the fissure in the opposition and go after it with relish but they can and should develop in other ways.
Funny thing watching Munster on Monday night against Cardiff, the lack of box-kicking. Similarly, with Ireland last Saturday.
Is the obsession with the box kick beginning to wane, even at Test level? Is there more of an emphasis coming back now on the tens taking control of games, and not letting the nine boss it as much?
Where the box kick remains effective is from the 50m line to the opposition 22, but the contestable from defence as far as the halfway line seems no longer as cherished a weapon as before. My sample size is small. Something to keep an eye on, though.
Winter rules dictate that it’s always better to kick long once it doesn’t go dead.
It was Italy, I accept, but there was plenty about Ireland last Saturday to recommend what they are doing. There was a discernible shift in terms of offloading and keeping the ball alive.
France, for all their flair, still conceded 16 penalties against the Welsh, though I am not sure whether that was traditional indiscipline or issues with hands-on on defence.
Not wanting ugly cleanouts is one thing but if it all but removes the chance of a poach, it’s surely counter-productive.
I want to pay tribute to Cian Healy too on the eve of his 100th cap for Ireland. People will know I respect him hugely.
Of course, one can only marvel at his on-field resilience. One hundred international caps for a front row is a rare thing. He keeps good company with Rory Best and John Hayes. He is in incredible condition physically for a player so combative.
But I like his personality, Cian is a very measured and considered man, which might go against his on-pitch image.
He has done his country a service. And then some.
