2023-10-08 09:14:10
The Scots are inconsolable after their defeat (14-36) against Ireland on Saturday October 7, at the Stade de France, synonymous with elimination from the 2023 World Cup. ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP
At the final whistle from Nic Berry, the Australian referee, we thought that Scottish fly-half Finn Russell had stooped down to retie his shoes on the pitch at the Stade de France. At the beginning, yes, he seemed to do so, but disappointed by the clear defeat of his team against Ireland (14-36) this Saturday, October 7, the star player of the Thistle XV did not get up. He sat down, head down, and didn’t move, as if stunned.
Around him, his opponents exulted, applauded by their supporters who had transformed the Parisian arena into a green tide. Ireland left for the quarter-finals of the World Cup, Scotland was going home, eliminated in the group stage as in 2019, when they were beaten by Japan.
Half an hour later, another image reflected the Scottish rout: the dismal entry into the press conference room of the coach of the blue jerseys Gregor Townsend, accompanied by his captain Jamie Ritchie, his arm in a sling, injured in the shoulder. The two men were difficult to see, undermined by a disappointing defeat, they who hoped so much to create a surprise and show how the sparkling attacks of the XV du Chardon often succeed in destabilizing their rivals.
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The day before the match, Scottish defense coach Steve Tandy had declared, with a touch of bravado: “It’s been a few years since we brought down Ireland but it’s going to happen. » We will have to wait a little longer, several years, perhaps. Scotland is not at the level of Ireland who controlled the game from start to finish even if, in a burst of pride, Finn Russel’s teammates scored two tries in two minutes during the second half, facing a Clover XV then a little relaxed because already assured of victory.
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How can we explain this hasty return to Edinburgh? One thing is certain, Scotland suffered from the draw which divided the nations of the oval into each of the four groups of the World Cup. By relying on rankings from 2020 – three years before the competition – the international federation World Rugby has faced numerous criticisms. Thus, three of the best current teams, namely Ireland (1st), South Africa (3rd) and Scotland (5th) found themselves in the same group, the so-called group B “the group of death”.
“We played four games, recalled Saturday evening Gregor Townsend, we won two but we lost against Ireland, world number 1 and South Africa, the current reigning champion… We could have overcome this obstacle but we did not succeed. »
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