These Blues look like soufflé. Appetizing at the start, and then falling very quickly into faults that we no longer knew about them. In the end, Antoine Dupont and his teammates are doing well, very well even, by beating Scotland (32-21) this Sunday, February 26 at the Stade de France, offensive bonus in hand. They reacted after the defeat in Ireland two weeks ago (32-19) and remain in the running for a hypothetical victory in the Tournament if the Irish fall one day.
On the lawn of Saint-Denis, the Habs had the merit of starting on the right foot and keeping enough strength for the last thrust of Gaël Fickou (80th). But they have not reached stratospheric levels. We also wonder if this team, so impressive last season, would not be on the way to regression despite the time spent together, the work of a plethoric staff and the prospect of a World Cup at home (September 8- October 28) who appears a little more open with each encounter.
These Blues are less scary
These Blues are no longer really scary. However, they are not easy to maneuver. The Irish experienced it two weeks ago by forcing the decision only ten minutes from the end despite an obvious superiority. The Scots suffered it this Sunday. Building on their initial successes in England (23-29) and against Wales (35-7), they threw themselves headlong into a duel that seemed within their reach.
The XV of the thistle bounced like a feather on the blue wall, dressed in white for the occasion. His flagrant lack of power, the faults enamelling his drumming led game, and the offerings of his bandleader Finn Russell, himself launching on an intercepted jump pass Thomas Ramos towards a try against seventy meters, the 3rd for the Habs after just 19 minutes, should have led Fabien Galthié’s players to a smooth success.
The big stupidity of Haouas and questions
The scenario did not unfold that way. The first culprit is undoubtedly the pillar Mohamed Haouas, expelled could not be more stupidly for a charge at the head of the Scottish scrum-half flush with a regrouping (12th) while his team played 15 against 14 after the expulsion , for the same reason, from the Scottish 2nd line Gilchrist (7th).
At 14 against 14, the Blues therefore withered after their thunderous start and the school trials of Ntamack (5th) and Dumortier (8th). Why did they let the Scots play so much and regain their confidence? Why suffer so much when the initiatives at the start of the match had paid off?
Physically, Fabien Galthié’s players are struggling to go the distance. They curl up very early on their defense which begins to crack. The tricolor pack no longer appears as sovereign. Dupont no longer reigns supreme. The strategy seems confusing. But there was this last burst, and this acceleration of Gaël Fickou. Just enough against the Scots.