Six Nations tournament: a week after the beating against Ireland, the French XV is expected to take on Scotland

To say it will be difficult to do worse is an understatement. The Blues have no room for error this Saturday against Scotland for the second day of the VI Nations tournament. A French XV still marked by the bitter setback conceded last week against Ireland in Marseille (38-14).

Showing a better face against Scotland

A slap in the face for Fabien Galthié’s men who have two consecutive defeats. Three defeats in a row, this has never happened since his arrival at the head of the France team. There is therefore the need to return to victory. “When you enter the field, it’s always to win,” explains Thomas Ramos, the back of the French XV.

But the Toulouse player prefers to put the urgency of the situation into perspective. “I don’t know if it’s an obligation to win, but it’s more of a desire,” he explains. Antoine Dupont’s club teammate knows that his team will be “necessarily expected”. “It’s up to us to be better and serious on the pitch to win,” says the player.

But beyond the result, the Blues must show another face. “We have rarely been humiliated like last week,” admitted captain Gregory Alldritt. The third row of La Rochelle concedes that he and his teammates had a “complicated start to the week”. “We all had a bit of a headache,” he admits. But the staff of the XV of France believes in the rebound of its workforce.

“We want to have a big match”

Fabien Galthié renewed his confidence in a large majority of the team defeated at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille by Ireland. He will have made only two changes in the starting XV: Cameron Woki replaces Paul Willemse, suspended, in the second row, while Louis Bielle-Biarrey finds a starting place, to the detriment of Yoram Moefana on the left wing. William Servat, co-trainer of the French XV in charge of the conquest and specific tasks, also expects to see “the image of a team, the image of players who wet the jersey and who do things collective manner.

Fabien Galthié’s assistant has no doubts about the abilities of his players to bounce back. “Our players are above all responsible men,” he believes. “Today, they are keen to show that these things don’t happen to us that often.” 10 defeats in 47 matches under Fabien Galthié, including three against Scotland. An opponent who has almost always caused problems for the Blues since 2020.

“We want to have a big match,” warns Gregory Alldritt, as if to set the tone. “We want to take the initiative, to offer play, to defend as we have defended for four years.” Everything that the Blues ultimately lacked against the Irish. “We want to show our true French XV, our true face,” concludes the captain of the French team.