Before challenging world champion South Africa on Sunday (9 p.m.) in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup, the manager of the French XV, Raphaël Ibanez, explained that the French staff remains suspicious regarding the composition of Boks team. Could they change their mind at the last moment? “We will wait for kick-off. We could be surprised until kick-off, explained the former hooker. Like against New Zealand. Everything can happen. We prepare for everything. It’s a game of chess. We are in the pre-match strategy. We prepare for everything.”

The Blues manager also confided his impatience before this summit clash against the outgoing world champions: “It’s a big match, that’s clear. Playing against South Africa, who won the competition four years ago, at the Stade de France, in the final stages in front of our home crowd, we couldn’t dream of better.”

But, all the lights are green for the XV of France. Perfectly prepared for this big meeting. “We have the feeling that we are putting all the chances on our side, on the strategic aspect, in our rise to power since our first meeting in June,” recalls Raphaël Ibanez. We’ve been together for 15 weeks. We tried to calibrate the preparation of the players as best as possible. Thibault Giroud (the head of physical preparation) told us that this match (France-Italy) should allow us to enter a period where we would feel physically at our best. We have the feeling of having put all the chances on our side.”

And to evoke the chance to play at the Stade de France in front of an audience committed to their cause: “Compared to this notion of stress during the opening match (victory against the All Blacks), this time the context is different. I think that when we refer to what Rassie Erasmus said (arguing that the Boks will have, in the country, 60 million South Africans behind them, Editor’s note), I think that we also have an advantage in this match is to play at the Stade de France. With an audience who will be there to vibrate, accompany and encourage our team. There is a real evolution at this level. We feel that the public wants to help the players, to support an offensive tackle, to support the team when it is necessary to defend the line. It’s quite remarkable. This is a very exciting development for our team to continue to grow.”