For their debut in this World Cup, France fulfilled their mission by securing a bonus-point victory against Japan (47 to 21). However, this match still leaves us with a feeling of incompleteness.
For three years, all matches of the French team have been similar. Apart from our set-pieces and especially our scrum, our defensive organization, and our ability to play well on recovery balls, we scored 4 of our 6 tries on the opponent’s turnovers. We are unable to propose any sequence of play when one could have thought that during the two months of preparation, our staff was going to set up a credible offensive organization; apparently, this is not the case.
In this match, where we were obliged to take the game into our own hands, we were incapable of doing so. By playing predictable rugby, garnished with inaccuracies and mistakes, we instilled confidence in our opponents.
It was the Japanese who made us doubt, making our heads spin by a dynamic movement game, closing the gap to 4 points. Even during this 25-minute lull, we were unable to regain control by relying on our team effort; instead, we opted for individual decisions. This lack of reference points could be detrimental to us for the rest of the competition.
The exhausted Japanese conceded in the last quarter-hour, allowing us to deliver a performance closer to our expectations. However, the All Blacks or the Tongans will be present for the full 80 minutes of the match.
