Pragmatic Philippe faces a rebuilding job

There might well be a new broom brushing away the cobwebs of the Marc Lièvremont era but looking at Philippe Saint-André’s first XV as France coach, it’s not immediately clear if all that much has changed.

The former France winger has kept faith with the vast majority of the players who went from zero to hero during the World Cup, adding only two new debutants to today’s match day 22 against Italy. With so little happening off the pitch, all of France has been waiting for this weekend in order to get a glimpse of what this new Saint-André era means for Les Bleus.

So will it be the glorious French side that pushed the All Blacks to the brink in the World Cup final 12 weeks ago or will it be the miserable excuse for a national team that lost to Tonga three weeks previous? The World Cup gave us France in a nutshell; the clutch of handwringing performances swimming in a sea of player disharmony followed by redemption and confirmation that when they want to, France can be the best team in the world. Therein lays the task for Saint-André over the next few years. He has been charged with putting consistency into an already battle hardened and talented squad. After eight years of Mad Bernie Laporte and four more of Madder Marc, France fancy a bit of Pragmatic Philippe.