2023-10-18 16:55:59
The elimination of the Blues in the quarter-finals abruptly ended their dream. They must now swallow their narrow defeat against the Springboks after a match marked by highly contested refereeing decisions. They will then begin a new cycle with coach Fabien Galthié, confirmed in his role until the next World Cup.
Published on: 10/18/2023 – 4:55 p.m.
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If football France likes to say that it has 67 million coaches, rugby France seems to be teeming with referees. Since the elimination of the Blues by South Africa by a small point (28-29) in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, there is no shortage of more or less informed opinions on social networks regarding the performance from New Zealander Ben O’Keeffe who led the match at the Stade de France. A maligned referee who suffers harassment from certain Internet users, who do not hesitate to insult him.
During the match, captain Antoine Dupont repeatedly expressed his incomprehension regarding his whistles. And he expressed just after the end of the match against South Africa his doubts about the quality of Ben O’Keeffe’s refereeing, which was not, according to him, “up to the level of the challenge”, while taking care to point out that this took nothing away from the performance of the South Africans, authors of a “great match” against France.
His frustration is shared by many French supporters and former international players. Everyone plays the video clips of around ten contentious actions over and over again and does not budge from the fact that the referee disadvantaged the Blues and weighed heavily on the outcome of this very close match. They denounce contentious ball scratching, South African players who deliberately slowed down French ball exits or dangerous contacts. And they criticize Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe for not having respected the rule to successfully counter a transformation from Frenchman Thomas Ramos.
Several former French referees were also invited by the media to view these sequences and they question certain refereeing decisions, like Maxime Chalon, which points out several inconsistencies on the RMC Sport website. An opinion that the World Rugby body does not share since it chose to entrust Ben O’Keeffe with the management of the South Africa – England semi-final, specifying that “this designation is made based on a selection on merit”.
The precedent of 1995
Coach Fabien Galthié recalled after the defeat that this 34-year-old referee was not the only decision-maker and that he also relied on sideline referees and a video team responsible for analyzing the actions during the match. Recalling that this type of situation had already occurred in the past, he then expressed his desire to “get over it”. He himself had experienced cruel disillusionment in the World Cup semi-final against these same South Africans in Durban in 1995. The Blues were then eliminated and their coach at the time, Pierre Berbizier, has since continued to denounce an arbitration theft.
Digesting Sunday’s elimination may also take a long time. The players of the current XV of France dreamed of being crowned world champions at home, in front of their loved ones and their public. “The more the weeks pass, the more I will achieve and the more I will perhaps have regrets too. The return to reality will be brutal,” explains winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey in the columns of L’Équipe.
The Blues quickly found themselves scattered after the elimination. They had to leave the hotel they were staying in in Rueil-Malmaison on Monday in the middle of the day and then shared a last lunch together. Some of them then returned home, while others spent the day and evening in the capital. “Let’s ensure that these moments are our driving force to progress further and come back stronger,” wrote Antoine Dupont on his Instagram account. Once this failure has been swallowed, they will look forward to their season in their respective clubs, which will resume the French championship on October 29, and their future with the Blues.
Four more years for Fabien Galthié
The president of the French Rugby Federation Florian Grill confirmed Monday that the mandate of Fabien Galthié, in office for four years, runs until June 2028. “It is not the defeat of one evening that changes anything either. I look at the last four years, the progress of the French team is phenomenal, this team is still young,” declared Florian Grill.
With a record of 35 victories in 44 matches, Fabien Galthié displays convincing results. But he will also have to find the necessary resources to bounce back and initiate a new cycle in preparation for the next World Cup, which will take place in Australia. Since the start of 2020, the French team has been able to beat the best teams in the world, including South Africa in November 2022, and win a Grand Slam in 2022 in the Six Nations Tournament. But she failed in the first qualifying match of this World Cup against the Springboks who seemed within her reach.
Over the coming months, changes will occur within management to ensure new momentum. New players will also appear, notably to replace pillar Uini Atonio and second row Romain Taofifenua who have announced the end of their international careers. The pool of the French XV seems rich, the under-20 team having won a third consecutive world title in July 2022. And the French management will not fail to rely on them to try to finally conquer a Webb Ellis trophy behind which the Blues have been running since 1987.
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