Frédéric Michalak: France’s eternelle énigme

He’s back in favour with Les Bleus, but the mercurial No 10 of the unpredictable temperament continues to be the poster boy for France’s fragility, says Gavin Mortimer

Remember the 2003 World Cup quarter–final? France blew Ireland apart. Keith Wood and his boys trailed 27–0 at half–time and though they staged a mini–revival after the break, the final scoreline of 43–21 emphasised the gulf between the two sides. France’s reward was a semi–final against England, a match they entered as favourites. Strange, perhaps, given that they were playing the Grand Slam champions, but England hadn’t looked at the races in the first month of the tournament.

They’d struggled against Samoa, edged out Wales in a nervy quarter–final and now faced a French XV on fire.