PARIS: France have a fly-half crisis for Friday’s Nations Championship clash against South Africa, but former international forward Louis Picamoles told AFP that the real issue is who wins the battle up front.
France head into the match with one win and nine defeats from their last 10 Tests against the reigning world champions, and their four first-choice fly-halves are all out injured.
Before that sorry run began, Picamoles played in France’s 2009 victory over the Springboks, who were also the reigning world champions at that time, so he knows a thing or two about overcoming South Africa’s brute strength.
“When you are missing a Romain Ntamack or a Matthieu Jalibert, who are world class players at number 10, you cannot say there will be zero impact,” Picamoles told AFP by telephone.
“But in a match against South Africa, it’s up front where it will be decided.”
France coach Fabien Galthie sprang a surprise on Wednesday, naming scrum-half and captain Antoine Dupont in the number 10 jersey, with Bordeaux-Begles’s Maxime Lucu in his usual number nine position.
Both half-backs have played at 10 in their careers, and it was Lucu who played there for more than 50 minutes against Fiji last week after Ntamack injured his shoulder.
“If the pack is in the match and competitive, I’m not too worried about their ability to manage this kind of match and intensity,” Picamoles said of the makeshift half-back pairing.
“The key will really be about our ability to counter the South African power up front.
“And then, behind, we have more than enough quality to more than match the South Africans.”
But to allow their talented backs such as Yoram Moefana, Theo Attissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey to shine, the pack will have to emulate their 2009 counterparts.
“In 2009 we really hurt them in the scrum and we won in part because of that sector, where we dominated,” said Picamoles, who was a marauding No.8 in his heyday for Montpellier, Toulouse and Les Bleus.
“When you beat the South Africans, it’s often because you were better than them in their strength: the scrum, the forwards.”
Pretty incredible
If there is one difference between the 2007 Springbok world champions and the current dominant team, it is their consistency.
South Africa have always been a team which performs well in the big tournaments, but recently they have also maintained that level all year round, every year.
France’s forwards coach William Servat, who also played in that 2009 victory, said it is down to coaching.
“Rassie Erasmus has largely contributed to fostering the spirit within this group,” the former hooker said this week.
“We have to recognise that he usually gets things right.
“I like the way he treats his players and the togetherness he has with his coaches.
“It’s pretty incredible.”
For Picamoles, the Springboks have assumed the mantle that was once the property of New Zealand’s All Blacks.
“All the planets have aligned, allowing them to maintain their performances, which makes them a very tough team to beat for France. For all teams, really,” said Picamoles.
“It’s really in their consistency, in the way that they perform that — whereas once it was the All Blacks who were the reference — now it’s South Africa.”
And the future looks bright for South Africa, with the Baby Boks having won the last two titles at the Junior World Championship, a tournament in which they have reached at least the semi-finals in 14 out of the 16 editions.
“They’ve really built for the long-term,” said Picamoles.
“That shows that they have invested in their young players and so they have gained consistency.
“They also have some great generations coming through.”
