Six Nations
France are rugby dullards - but there is hope
Martin Gillingham
February 24, 2015
Rory Kockott is among those attracting the ire of French pundits and journalists © Getty Images
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Dublin saw France sink to their nadir. Les Bleus, famous for their flair 'n flamboyance, had racked up almost three hours of game-time when they finally scored a try. It was an episode which prompted the editor of the country's specialist paper to pen a poisonous editorial suggesting the French people and its team are close to "divorce".

The day had started with modest expectations. A French star and champion of past glories working this time for the British national broadcaster parroted the tired cliché of pointless anglophile pundits, "I wonder which France team is going to turn up today?"

Thomas Castaignede's ironic tone underlined the daftness of the question. After all he, like us, knew precisely which France team was going to turn up: Philippe Saint-Andre's France. And they're always the same. Biff-bash-bosh. International rugby dullards.

 
We knew precisely which France team was going to turn up: Saint-Andre's France. Biff-bash-bosh. International rugby dullards
 

Even the addition of Serge Blanco to the coaching set-up after the Australia whitewash appears to have done little to alter things. Mathieu Bastareaud, for all his honest application, embodies the Saint-Andre philosophy which is the complete antithesis of what he represented as a player.

But out there, if the cognoscenti open their eyes to it, there is hope.

Three weeks ago I had the pleasure of commentating on the Top 14 clash between Montpellier and Bordeaux-Begles. Les Heraultais were desperate for victory and, despite being reduced to 14 men early on, won 34-24. What made the occasion, though, was the quality and style of the side they beat.

Les Bordelais are the best supported club side in Europe - more than 31,000 watched them beat Toulon on Saturday - and they play a brand of rugby which goes a long way to explaining why.

It's the club which gave the platform for Camille Lopez to establish his Test credentials; got in there early this season to sign new France international Loann Goujon in preparation for the next; and which snapped up two outstanding talents from relegated clubs last season who are now justifying the faith shown in them with some dazzling displays.

Wing Sofiane Guitoune has the most elusive feet in France while Yann Lesgourgues, previously seen as the heir to Yachvili at Biarritz, has pace which no other scrum-half can match. His try at Montpellier when he caught the ball on halfway facing his own tryline only to turn, sprint, swerve and dummy his way to the posts without a hand so much as brushing his jersey was the individual score of the season.

In Top 14 circles they are widely regarded as the model club run astutely by an understated president operating on a sensible budget. Laurent Marti's acumen stretches beyond putting bums on seats and signing players who entertain. He's also hand-picked a skilled coaching staff headed up by Raphael Ibanez.

Given the national team's malaise since the last World Cup it is criminal that not a single Bordeaux-Begles player has been picked for France. Lopez is the nearest they've come. He made his debut in New Zealand in June 2013 a few weeks after having left for Perpignan.

In fairness, not all of Saint-Andre's problems are of his own making. Ask any Top 14 director of rugby which is French rugby's problem position and they'll tell you it's lock. Last weekend just 10 of the 28 players who started matches wearing either 4 or 5 are France-qualified. Of those, six are over 30 - they include former captain Lionel Nallet who retires at the end of the season - and, of those who should be somewhere close to their prime, just Sebastien Vahaamahina is close to international class.

Oyonnax's Thibault Lassalle plucks a lineout against Toulouse, Toulouse v Oyonnax, Top 14, Ernest Wallon Stadium, August 16, 2014
Thibault Lassalle is one of only four French locks in their 20s to have started in the Top 14 last Saturday © Getty Images
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So who is there out there for Saint-Andre to choose from? Oyonnax's Thibault Lassalle is one of the four twenty-something locks who started in the Top 14 on Saturday. His career has blossomed in the Alpine foothills, so much so that the 6ft 8in giant is understood to be heading for Toulon in the summer on a three-year contract.

None of which, of course, means he's good enough to play for France but at least we do know he's genetically predisposed to selfless acts of patriotism, which would stand him in good stead should Pascal Pape's inner hooligan get the better of him again and one or two other more suitable candidates be taken lame.

Lassalle hails not from the Alpine slopes but those of the Pyrenees where his father is a well-known politician and all-round colourful character who made himself famous for once going on hunger strike and, on another occasion, springing to his feet in the national parliament before spontaneously singing his region's anthem in protest to then president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Which brings me on to my final point; the thorny topic of French "nationalism" which doesn't seem to have done much for the quality of the national side but certainly has seen prominent names turning their frustration on an innocent minority.

Emile N'tamack led the way in the criticism of Saint-Andre's selection of so-called "South African imports". That's a phrase I've heard too much of in recent weeks with the sentiment each time appearing to be that France should be selecting proper Frenchmen and not just okes like Natal Shark-cum-three-year Castres resident Rory Kockott.

Now, there may or may not be a debate to be had about World Rugby's eligibility rules but the point is they exist and do so in a world where freedom of movement is greater than ever before and sporting bodies have to be mindful their regulations stand to be tested in higher courts than their own.

None of the three South African-born players in the current France squad were imported with a view to being fast-tracked into the national team. It would be more accurate, if not quite as powerful a headline, were each of Bernard le Roux, Scott Spedding and Kockott dubbed "rugby migrants".

The talents of all three were not fully recognised at home and with options thin on the ground they flew north to earn a living. In those three years they've immersed themselves in French life, done the basics like learn the language, and developed themselves into high-quality players. Their achievements should be celebrated rather than derided.

Indeed I suspect the next France lock started a match in the Top 14 on Saturday. He's 25 and has been pulling up trees for the last 18 months at, you've guessed it, Bordeaux-Begles. His name is Jandre Marais and he learned the game in Durban where he made a try-scoring Super Rugby debut for the Sharks against the Reds in March 2013. By then he'd made the decision to move to France and is one of the reasons Ibanez's side are pushing for the play-offs.

His three-year residency qualification comes through in the middle of next year and I suspect the next France coach - if not N'tamack, the odd pundit, and a voluble minority of narrow-minded French supporters - will welcome the fact.

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