Highlights:
- Explore how France’s head coach, Fabien Galthie, made 12 crucial changes to the team’s lineup, showcasing his tactical prowess in adapting to Uruguay’s challenge.
- Learn how youngster Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s try in the 73rd minute gave Les Bleus their second victory in the competition.
- Discover how Uruguay posed an uncomfortable and formidable challenge for France, leaving both players and fans on the edge of their seats in a Rugby World Cup clash.
In Thursday’s 27-12 victory over Uruguay in Lille, France, head coach Fabien Galthie claimed that Uruguay had made hosts “uncomfortable” in the Rugby World Cup clash. Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s try in the 73rd minute gave Les Bleus the victory they needed to secure their second victory of the competition after they were unable to secure a bonus point.
“In the locker room, the players were agitated.” We’ll make an effort to understand where we can make improvements,” Galthie shared with the media. “We had a jittery French team that was very focused. He continued, “We were uncomfortable with Uruguay, but we still won, and we’re still delighted.”
Galthie had changed 12 things from last week’s competition-opening victory over New Zealand. Antoine Dupont handed up the captaincy to No. 8 Anthony Jelonch in his debut game following a major knee injury in late February.
Jelonch stated, “I was a little nervous in the first hits, but I quickly got into my stride, and I felt liberated.”
“They (the Uruguayans) showed great enthusiasm, they were highly determined, and they posed a formidable challenge for us,” expressed the player.
The scrum for Les Bleus, which is coached by former hooker William Servat, was frequently flagged by official Ben O’Keeffe, but Galthie would not comment on his performance.
With 30 minutes left to play, Galthie changed five of his pack in an effort to turn things around, but they still lost four of their 14 scrums.
Galthie stated, “I don’t want to talk about refereeing. Sometimes, the scrum was rewarded; other times, it was penalized.”
“We’ll go back to the basics and work with William to find improvements.”
Galthie’s team against Los Teros gave away 16 penalties, 11 more than they gave up to the All Blacks.
The number is enormous, according to Lock Cameron Woki.
“It’s practically unacceptable on a global scale. “You could say that our victory was a stroke of luck. We desired to display an alternative.
The French will play Namibia on Thursday in Marseille before concluding their pool stage schedule on October 6 against Italy.
Esteban Meneses, the head coach, urged more competition with elite teams. “I believe that we would continue to advance if we were able to participate in more events. “Today, Uruguay expressed itself, displaying its true colors.”
“I really believe that being on an equal footing with France at a World Cup shows the quality in the side,” he continued.