No revolution, but a slight evolution. Faithful to his line of conduct since he took over the destiny of the French XV in 2019, Fabien Galthié did not shake up his team the day after a major poor performance in the Six Nations Tournament. The French coach revealed, Thursday February 8, the team chosen to face Scotland on Saturday in Edinburgh (3:30 p.m. Paris time). A squad responsible for “showing a completely different face” than in the opening match, lost in Marseille against Ireland (17-38).
“Our priority has always been to stand together in big and difficult times. We performed, together, we also lost,” declared Fabien Galthié, at a press conference from Marcoussis (Essonne). The Lot technician made only two changes to the team which will fly to Edinburgh in the afternoon, with the start of second row Cameron Woki and winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
On Saturday, after the defeat in Marseille, the coach insisted on the fact that his troops should not plunge back into a pattern that was too familiar to French rugby in the 2010s. “I told the players that, on the pitch, Above all, they shouldn’t say to themselves: ‘This is going badly, and I’m going to pay the consequences,'” he explained. Since taking office, the former number 9 of the Blues has strived to build a stable team, valuing “collective experience” and automatisms, like the immovable hinge formed by Romain Ntamack and Antoine Dupont .
The absences of the two Toulouse players at the 2024 Tournament – ??the first due to an injury and the second because of his Olympic project –, combined with a significant number of injuries, forced Fabien Gathié to cancel his “stability pact”, and injecting more new blood than he would have liked. Like the young second line from Perpignan, Posolo Tuilagi, U20 world champion in the summer of 2023, whose incorporation into the French XV was not planned so quickly. “The injuries and the red card [of Paul Willemse, against Ireland] propelled his integration,” admitted the coach on Thursday.
“We have to show them confidence.”
Despite performances below their usual since the World Cup and the emergence of young shoots (the Palois Emilien Gailleton and the Bordelo-Béglais Nicolas Depoortère), the French staff kept the pair formed by Gaël Fickou and Jonathan Danty. “For the players to have confidence, you have to show them confidence, and this will be particularly important during this match,” explained the coach of the conquest, William Servat.
If it “favored the fighting intensity” against Ireland without obtaining the expected results, the XV of France will not change its tactics on the pitch at Murrayfield. “It hasn’t been a question of possession or dispossession against Ireland. It’s especially the brand that doesn’t satisfy us, said Fabien Galthié. The idea is to be very demanding and move on to another more successful match. »
The two changes against Scotland – one forced by the four-week suspension of Paul Willemse after his red card – could nevertheless put the Blues back in the race, as Thomas Ramos has called for. “I hope we play a little more in Scotland,” said the Toulouse full-back during the week. Without doing anything stupidly exposing himself in our camp. » Cameron Woki returns to the second line, and on the wings, the arrow Louis Bielle-Biarrey regains his starting place, won during the World Cup. At Murrayfield, where he made his international debut this summer with a test full of sass, the young player from Union Bordeaux-Bègles should bring a different contribution to Yoram Moefana, lined up against Clover.
“Louis brings speed, is used to the wing and can cover behind, where Yoram can cover the center position,” Fabien Galthié declined. In a large stadium, we will need additional power at the center or winger position, this is where Yoram can bring us his palette. » Faced with the Scots determined to play their chances bravely, after a victorious first day but with two faces in Wales (27-26, after leading 26-0), the French hope to find their compass. And victory. They who have never had three defeats since Fabien Galthié led them.
Thomas Ramos – Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Louis Bielle-Biarrey – (o) Matthieu Jalibert, (m) Maxime Lucu – Charles Ollivon, Gregory Alldritt (cap), Francois Cros – Paul Gabrillagues, Cameron Woki – Uini Atonio , Peace Mauvaka, Cyril Baille.
