Will the next decade bring success for France at the Six Nations?
For a while in the noughties, France were arguably the most feared team in the Six Nations. Possessing a squad rich in both strength and finesse with players like Vincent Clerc, Clément Poitrenaud and Morgan Parra. They were a force to be reckoned with, and won five Championships, which included two Grand Slams, between 2002 and 2010.
France have not won the title since then, and the last decade has been marked by disappointment year after year. The famously passionate French rugby supporters have been made to watch England, Ireland and Wales split the titles among themselves since 2011, while France languish in no man’s land in the Six Nations table each year.
With a new decade beginning, this year’s Championship will mark 10 years since France last lifted the trophy. It’s a period of transition in French rugby, with Fabien Galthié taking the reins as head coach after Jacques Brunel’s stint in charge came to an end following the Rugby World Cup. Charles Ollivon has been appointed as France’s new captain after the retirement of Guilhem Guirado from international rugby.
This new beginning for French rugby has been accentuated by Galthié’s squad selection for the upcoming tournament, for which France are considered outsiders in the latest Rugby Union betting on the Six Nations Championship 2020. There is a distinctly youthful element to the group this year, and Galthié is clearly keen to see the next wave of talent come through and make an impact.
In total, there are 19 uncapped players in the 42-man squad, with old heads Yoann Huget, Maxime Medard and Camille Lopez omitted from the group. New captain Ollivon has only 11 caps to his name, making his selection for the leadership role an interesting one.
While it may seem a risky strategy for Galthié to employ in his first Six Nations in charge, it’s clear he has looked at the positive signs France demonstrated at the Rugby World Cup. Despite many expecting them to struggle in a pool that contained both England and Argentina, France flourished, winning all three of their pool games played (the fourth against England was cancelled due to Typhoon Hagibis and declared a 0-0 draw).
The team put up an impressive fight against Wales in the quarter-final, with just a single point the difference between the two sides. On another day, France could have been looking at a World Cup semi-final, but perhaps inexperience just played its part in the end.
That will be the worry for French fans heading into this Six Nations – that this squad does not have the experience and knowhow required to cope with the well-oiled machines of England, Ireland and Wales.
But Galthié is laying the foundations for a side to gain experience together, to experience the ups and downs of international rugby side-by-side and learn as a collective unit. The past decade was one defined by disorganisation and disarray for France, and a more concerted strategic plan to achieve success is needed if the next decade is to be a more successful one as far as the Six Nations is concerned.
While it is unlikely that this year’s Six Nations will bring a Grand Slam or even any kind of title challenge for France, it could be that in a few years’ time they will be right up there as one of the most fearsome side’s once again. If that does happen, we may look back on this campaign as the one that birthed a new age of French rugby – the baptism of fire needed to breed that sense of urgency and desire needed to achieve success further down the line.
