2023-10-15 09:02:03
Serious things begin for the Blues. This Sunday, October 15, the French to title dreams.
Undefeated until then, Fabien Galthié’s men will have to work in melee, in a particularly tough duel. “It will be a big physical challenge, promises former French international Julien Bonnaire (75 caps). This is the trademark of the South Africans: they have always had this culture of combat, with forwards among the best in the world. »
A “rush” defense against Ireland
Faced with this defensive armada, the injury to hooker Julien Marchand, victim of a torn hamstring against New Zealand in the opening match, remains a hard blow for the Blues. “He had the ideal profile to compete with this opposing packbelieves Julien Bonnaire. But other profiles like Jonathan Danty or Grégory Alldritt also excel in the art of scratching balls and relieve the defense during repeated attacks. reassures the former finalist from 2011.
During the Group B clash against Ireland on September 23, the South African Springboks had practiced a so-called “rush” defense, which consists of getting on the opponent as quickly as possible to prevent them from building their attacks by spreading the ball towards the wings. That day, the South Africans had made 30 “offensive” tackles (when the tackler pushes the tackled player back). A profitable strategy but not without risk, since the rapid rise of the defenders leaves large spaces behind them.
It will be up to fly half Matthieu Jalibert, author of an excellent performance against the Italians on October 6, to find solutions to the South African pressure. “The Irish don’t necessarily have a lot of different combinations, but the ones they have are very well oiled. Facing South Africa, the France team will have to show imagination,” analysis Andries van Heerde.
The former French international (2 selections), of South African origin, believes that the French fly half “has this ability to change his game during the match. It will be up to him and Antoine Dupont to ensure that the opponent stays at home and as little as possible within the 40 French meters.”
Kicking game, France advantage
Beyond their physical density, the title holders however experience rare failures, particularly in the kicking game. During the match against Ireland, the two scorers, Manie Libbok and Faf De Klerk, dropped eleven points, missing three penalties and a conversion. To remedy this, Jacques Nienaber, the South African coach, recalled Handré Pollard, conductor of the Springboks in 2019 in Japan. Against the Tongans on October 1, the Leicester player reassured, despite an apparent lack of rhythm.
“With Pollard out of form, South Africa could find themselves in a situation where, in the 50th minute, they have to make a change and are then short of a real goalscorer,” anticipates Andries van Heerden, who sees this as a flaw in the South African game. “Until now, France has been more than precise on the footunderlines Julien Bonnaire. Beyond penalties, we have men capable of playing long, precisely, whether it is Antoine Dupont, Thomas Ramos or Matthieu Jalibert. »
This weakness in the foot should not make us forget that the Springboks’ game has, since their 2019 title, diversified a lot. In front of the press, on October 8, scrum half Faf De Klerk deciphered it: “At the previous World Cup, we only did mauls, scrums, kicks, and we defended as best as possible, he detailed. Last year, we decided to bring something else, in particular by keeping the ball more consistently. We managed to bring new variations to our game.”
Opposite, the XV of France is banking on momentum. During their last confrontation with the South Africans, in November 2022, Charles Ollivon’s teammates won on the wire (30-26) in a tough encounter. Two of the best players in the world, Pieter-Steph du Toit, on the South African side, and Antoine Dupont, on the French side, each received a red card in a very high intensity duel. This forceps victory, added to the 2022 Grand Slam, obtained a few months earlier, had brought the French team into the circle of serious contenders for the world title. The time has come to confirm.
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Their second meeting in the World Cup
In 45 matches, the French XV have won only 12 times against the South African Springboks. Six matches ended in a draw, compared to 27 victories for the reigning world champion team. Surprisingly, the two teams have only met once in the World Cup. In 1995, the South Africans won at home with a score of 19-15 in the semi-final. That year, the host team won its first world championship title. In a distance duel, the Frenchman Damian Penaud (6 tries) and the South African Cobus Reinach (4 tries) are in the running for the title of best scorer of the 2023 World Cup.
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