The French XV has performed so well over the past three years that the demands of its followers have gone up a notch. This Thursday evening at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, the Blues won their second World Cup match against Uruguay (27-12) but the collective performance of Fabien Galthié’s players did not convince the French press. Far from there.
This morning, L’Équipe headlines “In the north, it was very messy”, in reference to the famous Corons by Pierre Bachelet. The sports daily highlights the “pale copy” made by the reworked Blues team which came up against “transcended” Uruguayans for 80 minutes. Led by captain Anthony Jelonch, the Tricolores “going against the grain” let slip the offensive bonus that seemed promised to them, a regret for the newspaper even if the essentials were assured at the end of a “great purge.”
As for the regional press, we also agree on the tasteless game proposed against the Teros. “Des Bleus pales” writes La Dépêche du Midi, as do Sud Ouest and Le Parisien (“Des Bleus bien pales”), proof that the French replacements have, against their will, made everyone agree. The Dauphiné Libéré prefers to be positive by recalling that “Les Bleus secure” the four points of victory before challenging Namibia next Thursday. La Voix du Nord even dares to speak of “Deliverance” with an image of the essay written at the end of the meeting by the young Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
Six days after the historic success against the All Blacks, Ouest-France and Midi libre also remain hungry and join the general outpouring of frustration. The two dailies regret a “victory without panache”. Finally, to find positive words, we must turn to the match report of the opponent, Uruguay, praised in all the columns. “Catchy”, “combative”, “valiant” are the words chosen to describe the South Americans who amazed with their energy and solidity. The Blues also surprised last night, but not in a good way.