Fabien Galthie aiming to bring back the French finesse

Covid has hit preparations again. Several players had to pull out of the first week of training at Foreign Legion headquarters, near Marseille, meaning Les Bleus will be a little undercooked for Sunday’s opener against Italy

Thu, 03 Feb, 2022 - 16:12

James Harrington

The message, as Fabien Galthie prepares for a third Covid-affected Six Nations as France head coach, comes straight out of a Shakespeare play rather than one by his native wordsmith, Moliere: What’s past is prologue.

What Antonio says next in The Tempest may be equally appropriate: what to come / In yours and my discharge.

We all know what happened in the two years - or 20 matches, to use Galthie’s preferred 2023 World Cup-oriented measurement of time - since he and his staff took charge of France’s senior men’s side, and placed his trust in potential over experience.

Les Bleus finished second in a Covid-broken 2020 Six Nations, behind England - who they beat at Stade de France in the first match of the Galthie era. But for some time-mismanagement by Antoine Dupont in that match, allowing Eddie Jones’s side to pick up what would be a crucial bonus point, they would have finished first.

They were runners-up again in 2021, losing in England - but winning in Dublin for the first time in forever, and denying eventual champions Wales a Grand Slam, then losing to Scotland at Stade de France in a rescheduled outing following a Covid outbreak in camp.

Previously, they had already come within an extra-time forward pass of beating England at Twickeham in the final of the hastily arranged Autumn Nations Cup with a side boasting just 68 caps.

They have since won in Australia for the first time in 31 years with another cap-depleted side and in November beat New Zealand for the first time on French soil since 2000.

As well as the All Blacks and Wallabies, France under Galthie have ended losing streaks in Dublin, Cardiff, and Edinburgh. And they’ve twice come within minutes of beating England at Twickenham for the first time since 2007.

That is Galthie’s prologue. What’s ‘in his and France’s discharge’ through the 2022 Six Nations and beyond, with 20 months and 20 more matches to the World Cup, occupies his heart and mind now.

But backs coach Laurent Labit - Galthie’s halfback partner at Colomiers back in the day, and one of a select few the head coach will trust with developing France’s attacking gameplan - hinted at what’s to come. “We don’t approach a competition like the Six Nations like a tour,” he said in a recent interview. “There is a trophy to win. We will approach it with more certainty, more confidence. There will be fewer surprises in our squads and how we play.”

Unsurprisingly, Galthie outlined the same ambition at the Six Nations media launch. “Since the beginning, our ambition has been to win matches and competitions we are involved in.

“The first tournament we lost on points difference to England; the second by a small margin to Wales. The objective is always the same. The staff and players are growing, improving their preparation and their methods. Our objective is to build on the latest step.”

There’s a lot to unpack in two statements that hold more promise than first appears.

At the halfway point of the road to France 2023, Galthie clearly believes his plans are at the stage where they no longer need to test anything new or different - no more Jalimack for a while, it would seem.

He and Labit, in particular, must be happy enough that their 21st-century take on old-school French Villepreuxvian standards with a modern Shaun Edwards defensive twist works. The evidence suggests they’re right - it’s already beaten eight of the top nine sides in the World Rugby’s men’s rankings, and will be tested against 10th-placed Japan in July and number one-ranked side South Africa in November.

The ultimate goal is 20 months down the line, but Galthie insists his focus and that of his staff and his squad is solely on this tournament, where there are plenty of traps.

Les Bleus’ first opponents, easy to underestimate new-look Italy, with a squad as young, talented and callow as France’s were a few years ago - short on experience, long on potential, in other words - have everything to gain under new coach Kieran Crowley, he insisted.

“Then we have Ireland, who are unbeaten since last February - their last defeat was against France,” he went on. “Since then they have won all their matches, including against England during the Six Nations. They won in Scotland and also against the All Blacks. They too are capable of doing great things this year.

“They are ahead of us in the world rankings. After that, we continue with Scotland, Wales and England - teams that are capable of winning the tournament.” And there’s a new factor to consider - fans’ great and rising expectations On top of the small matter of facing the best rugby teams in the world, France also now have to cope with supporters who genuinely believe. It’s a far cry from the cautious, weary pessimism that greeted the first Galthie-era squad two years ago.

Back then, French fans wanted to have faith in their new coach. They wanted the talented individuals they knew were playing for Top 14 clubs to gel in the national squad, to challenge the best in the world. But they’d been at that point before. It hadn’t gone well.

Fourteen wins in 20 matches after that standing start, with two second-place Six Nations finishes and an Autumn Nations Cup final near-miss, French rugby pessimism has given way to hope, which has - in turn - moved aside for great expectations.

Now, Galthie needs to repay that faith with some silver to polish - and, with this year’s Six Nations fixture list in his favour, this is his best chance before France 2023.

The prologue is over. This Six Nations is Act One, scene one. The play ends, France hope and expect, with a first Six Nations title since 2010. But the run is intended to continue, until Saturday, October 28, 2023 - and, so the dream goes, another trophy lift.