Trio of France coaches echo spirit of the musketeers

THE newly installed triumvirate of youthful coaches at the helm of the French rugby team are displaying a united front that was missing from Bernard Laporte’s days.

Marc Lievremont was named as the official successor to Laporte, with Emile Ntamack and Didier Retiere named as backs and forwards coaches respectively, but all three face the press together, each with the title of coach.

“It was important to show that in the choice of players and the style of game, we are as one and the choices have been made collectively,” said Lievremont.

The sole exception to the trio appearing together before the media was after the 27-6 demolition of Scotland in Edinburgh, when tournament protocol demanded just Lievremont and captain Lionel Nallet.

In the Laporte era, forwards coach Jacques Brunel and backs coach Bernard Vivies only enjoyed the title of assistants and rarely appeared before the press.

The Musketeer spirit of ‘One for all and all for one’ engendered by Lievremont has also been evident on the training field.

“We can chat with the three of them, they’re very open,” said number 8 Elvis Vermeulen, who won eight of his nine caps under Laporte.

“We feel that Marc is the one slightly in charge, but it’s quite free,” Vermeulen said.

“Didier and Emile also speak out. They complement each other. Bernard was more the decision-maker when it came to the players.”

Prop Nicolas Mas agreed: “It’s not Marc who’s the boss and the others under him.

“When one of the three has something to say, he says it.”

Ntamack, the former Toulouse and France wing who coached the French U-21 team to age-group World Cup glory, said there was definitely a three-pronged approach to training.

“Training sessions are really prepared by the three,” he said.

“I concentrate more on the three-quarters but the vision of the gameplan that we’re putting in place is a wider vision.

“Didier is in charge, notably with Marc, of the forwards’ training, and we’re going to work a lot together to integrate play. That makes three pairs of eyes to see what’s not working.”

The French squad’s training week is now cut into two parts.

“At the start of the week, we try to imprint a message,” based on individual initiatives shown, said Retiere.

“The second part of the week is more focused on accuracy and details,” added Ntamack.

The system is a break from the one employed by Laporte, whose eight-year tenure came to an end when France lost the World Cup third place play-off with Argentina.

Lievremont’s side against Scotland featured four international debutants and just six members of Laporte’s World Cup squad, but most of the old guard refuse any comparison between the duo’s methods.

“I stuck to the Laporte system,” said fullback Cedric Heymans. “I supported it. I’m not going to withdraw that support now.”

Scrumhalf Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, credited by Lievremont for offering a cool head and invaluable link for the lesser experienced youngsters in the team during the clash against Scotland, acknowledged only that the gameplan under Laporte was “a lot more structured”.

Lievremont has also proved to be diplomatic when addressing the powerful French clubs, for whom most of his squad play.

The clubs had no say in his designation as coach, a fact that did not go down well at the time, but the 39-year-old former France flanker was quick to doff his cap to the domestic movers and shakers after the victory in Murrayfield.

“If we have to thank someone, it’s the club coaches who have allowed us to have at our disposition a group of quality and well-prepared players,” he said.