While they may seem entirely different, there are striking similarities between the head coach of the French rugby team, Fabien Galthié, and that of Australia, Eddie Jones. While the latter coached England from 2016 to 2022 and had great success with the England team, Galthié has partly modeled his approach after Jones.

Taking from Eddie Jones

After taking over as England’s head coach following their home elimination in the 2015 World Cup, Jones drastically changed England’s strategy to a more closed and effective rugby style. Gone was the enterprising play of the Stuart Lancaster era, replaced by pragmatism and dispossession. Focusing on physical preparation and kicking, Jones chose to line up George Ford and Owen Farrell in the 10 and 12 positions to dictate the game and constantly put pressure on the opposing teams with more robust forwards.

Immediate Results

The results were immediate, with a Grand Slam in the 2016 Six Nations, featuring a less entertaining but much stronger English team. This marked the rise of players like Vunipola, Itoje, Kruys, George, Youngs, Farrell, all more rugged than their predecessors.

Galthié’s Take

If you watched the Six Nations on French Television at that time, you might have heard the insights of then-commentator Fabien Galthié, who explained Eddie Jones’ method. Invited one day to an English training session, Galthié discovered the English environment and the reasons for their success. Jones believes in training harder than you play in a match, which leads to better decision-making on the field.

Similar Strategies

The French team has adopted this method and strategy since 2020, and it’s working well. The « Arrow of Time » is mentioned at every meeting by the French team. They play a rugby of dispossession and train with high-intensity sessions that are harder than their weekend games.

The French will complete their group stage in ten days against Italy in Lyon to secure a quarter-final spot. The English will face Samoa the next day.