Cédric Chasseur / Photo credits: FRANCK FIFE / AFP
It’s a match worthy of a final. For the opening of the Rugby World Cup, the Blues face the All Blacks this Friday evening. The two teams, best enemies, intend to win against each other. But it is a match of competition favorites that the public is about to see.
Because if New Zealand is well ranked, France is also one of the teams that could lift the trophy, according to the famous bookmakers, who even place the French XV ahead of the reigning South African champions.
Good dynamics
But why are the Blues so well located? Quite simply because since the arrival of Fabien Galthié, the Blues have been attractive, with an average of 30 points per match and above all they are more efficient. With 32 victories in 40 matches, only one defeat at home, a Grand Slam in 2022, victories against all the major nations of the northern and southern hemispheres… France shows that it knows how to play rugby. And bookmakers have also spotted talented players, including the best in the world, Antoine Dupont. A captain of Olympian calm at the dawn of this big meeting, despite expectations.
Pressure and motivation
“There is a certain pressure because we are expected, because we have developed hope in people for four seasons now with the results we have had. But I think the pressure is less than the motivation , the standards we set for ourselves, and above all our ambition,” explains the captain of the Blues.
And yet, this group lacks experience at this level. 26 of the 33 selected have never played in the World Cup. There are also injuries that have not spared the team, like Ntamack, Baille, Willemse or Danty. But all these events have not altered the ambitions of the XV of France, undoubtedly the most homogeneous team in the tournament.