While the French team led 27-10 in the score on Saturday night in St-Etienne against Scotland, the Scottish team equalized with less than 10 minutes left. Could this be a physical problem for France, and if so, is it concerning?

Scotland started their World Cup preparation a month before France. While most French internationals were finishing the Top 14 season in San Sebastian and Paris, the Scots were resting and gradually returning to training.

This difference was anticipated by Fabien Galthié and his staff. They announced at the beginning of the 2022/23 season that the summer preparation for the World Cup wouldn’t focus solely on physical conditioning but on rugby-specific work.

As a result, players had specific physical and physiological performance criteria to meet when arriving in Monaco for the first training camp. July was dedicated to specific physical training aimed at peaking in September and October for the World Cup.

This is where the topic becomes interesting to delve into. Starting their preparation earlier, Scotland finished their specific training earlier. They are ahead, as highlighted multiple times by Galthié and Thibault Giroud, the director of performance for the French team.

« It’s normal not to be at 100% against Scotland. They’ll try to keep the ball alive for as long as possible to tire us out. »

Indeed, that’s what happened.

Finn Russell and his teammates, having played two matches prior to Saturday night’s game, had better coordination and rhythm. France logically struggled and managed to cope.

The turning point: Ntamack’s injury

Just before the 60th minute, an event drastically changed the course of the match. Romain Ntamack, the fly-half, left the field due to a knee-to-knee collision.

France was completely disorganized and had to adapt. Thomas Ramos moved to fly-half. Paul Boudehent played in the center with Gaël Fickou. Sékou Macalou moved to the wing in place of Gabin Villière, and Louis Bielle-Biarrey played at fullback.

It’s safe to say this looked like makeshift arrangements, and the Scots took advantage of our defensive weaknesses.

So, there are two factors that can reassure fans of the French team.

With a month before the opening match against New Zealand, Antoine Dupont’s teammates have time to improve and manage their games better. Fiji and Australia will provide answers for the staff and observers.