XV de France – autumn tour: Georgia, an aperitif before the All Blacks

This has been going on for a week. Let the questions fuse, here and there, on the All Blacks. The answer is always the same: “Blacks? Which blacks? No, no, we only think of Georgia.” It was Fabien Galthié who launched the verse last Saturday, a few minutes after the victory against Argentina: “We will talk about the third match in due course.” And its players, without this surprising many people, took up the chorus in the following days: “We haven’t even talked about New Zealand.”

Well, everyone suspects that there is a bit of bad faith in these words and that, like all observers and lovers of this sport, all the members of the XV of France are impatiently waiting to rub shoulders with what is doing the best on the planet rugby. What could be more logical ? These Blues have been so attractive for almost two years, shed so many talents and have such infinite resources that it would be absurd not to dream today of a prestigious success against (precisely) the most prestigious of nations. The one that seemed to evolve light years from our reality not so long ago.

Jalibert-Ntamack, second chance

The problem ? It is first of all that this team of France – as promising as it is – has still not won anything and has let slip under its nose any title (even honorary) that has been presented to it since the beginning of the Galthié era. : two Six Nations Tournaments, an Autumn Nations Cup and a tour of Australia. It is high time, less than two years before the meeting of 2023, to put an end to this dearth.

Another problem ? It is simple: is the “Dupont gang” really capable to this day of overthrowing the Blacks and reaching our wildest hopes? No need to answer this question in the coming hours, there is a week left to extend the dream. Still, tonight, the Blues will have more certainties, or concerns, it’s up to you. Because if they started their fall trip with a victory against the Pumas at the Stade de France, it left some doubts. Because they were dominated in front, or more precisely in the ground game, during a half. And because the novelties were not all successful. Foremost among which the Jalibert-Ntamack association, which was a failure, to the point of sacrificing the Toulousain at the 54 th minute to find more percussion.

The duo will have another chance against Georgia, and that will perhaps be the main attraction of this test, because everything suggests that the staff – except sporting cataclysm or unfortunate injury – will not change their plans within a week. of the November summit and will go through with his current conviction. This is how – even if a bad surprise in Bordeaux would be a miracle for the Lelos and the earthquake for the Blues – the Georgian reception will count twice in the construction of this XV of France. To finally get closer to a semblance of success and to believe in a historic feat six days later. So no kidding guys, Bordeaux deserves a great vintage.