Faced with Wallabies in the hard for weeks, Antoine Dupont and his partners ensured the main thing – a big victory – but not answered all the questions less than two weeks before the launch of the World Cup.
The staff of the Blues welcomed the opposition. A team from the southern hemisphere, athletic and playful. The ideal sparring partner for the opening match of the World Cup, in less than two weeks (September 8) against the New Zealanders. An exercise in style as a dress rehearsal. A test passed with honors by the tricolor forwards.
Faced with the powerful Australian pack, Alldritt and his comrades held the shock. A little more even, like this maul who won everything just before the break. Pushing their opponents to the fault, they allowed Thomas Ramos to widen the gap in the first period, the striker finishing with 16 points at 75% success.
This last outing before the World Cup was also an opportunity to fine-tune the final settings. Coach Fabien Galthié had thus lined up his standard starting XV to get answers. In particular at the hinge where Antoine Dupont, orphan of his alter ego Romain Ntamack, injured in the knee and forfeited for the competition, had to make his mark with his new opening half, Matthieu Jalibert.
Highly anticipated, the Bordelais did not convince. Too discreet in the game in the first half and worrying in defense, between carefully avoided contacts and missed tackles. After the break, the number 10 resumed, initiating some long-term actions which delighted the public of a sold-out Stade de France, offering, with a kick pass, a try to Gabin Villière, justly rewarded for all of his work.
The RCT winger is back. Shaken many times, he never gave up. Captain Dupont has regularly put his team back in the game. Always as unpredictable until his exit, before the hour mark. The star of the Blues is in good shape and has been preserved during this studious summer with only two appearances for 128 cumulative minutes of play.
At the end of the four summer preparation matches, the results are correct, nothing more. Certainly three victories (Scotland, Fiji, Australia) for a single defeat (in Scotland), but there are still questions to be settled. The game is not completely in place, the offensive actions still lack fluidity and support has been slow to arrive several times against the Wallabies.
Not to mention a few placement errors including one, gross, which allowed Mark Nawaqanitawase to score a try on his wing completely deserted by Damian Penaud and Thomas Ramos (14th). A failure which earned the Toulouse back a big verbal reprimand from the new UBB winger… Which did not prevent the two teammates from not understanding each other again on the hour mark, the pass from Ramos to Penaud finding the void of the key.
If, in the second half, against Australians in the hard – since his appointment as coach of the Wallabies, Eddie Jones, the former mentor of Japan and England, has still not won, stacking five defeats -, the tricolor attackers have finally stretched their legs, they have obtained many opportunities to conclude only three (double Penaud 58th and 74th, Villière 64th). More annoying, the defense conceded three tries. Which makes it eleven in four meetings…
From now on, the Blues will spend five days with their loved ones to recharge their batteries. Before meeting at the end of next week at their base camp in Rueil-Malmaison. And switch to the World Cup and the capital shock of entry against the All Blacks.
