Rugby World Cup 2023 – Imanol Harinordoquy: “Impossible to leave the senior players in the closet for three weeks”Rugby World Cup 2023 – Imanol Harinordoquy: “Impossible to leave the senior players in the closet for three weeks”Rugby World Cup 2023 – Imanol Harinordoquy: “Impossible to leave the senior players in the closet for three weeks”Rugby World Cup 2023 – Imanol Harinordoquy: “Impossible to leave the senior players in the closet for three weeks”Rugby World Cup 2023 – Imanol Harinordoquy: “Impossible to leave the senior players in the closet for three weeks”

What general impression did the French XV leave you with against Uruguay?

It’s quite paradoxical, but it was the Uruguayans who appealed to me the most. They put heart and desire into it. They also played rugby well. I have to make a mea culpa because I didn’t give much of their skin. I was really pleasantly surprised. As for the French team, it was not at the expected level. The observation is cruel: many players had points to gain, I think they ultimately lost some. Finishers should remain finishers for the rest of the competition.

Fabien Galthié declared that the French team was not there to be “demonstrating or making a clean copy.” What do you think ?

He’s not wrong, the most important thing was to win. We’re not going to question everything for a somewhat botched outing, nor call into question the value of the players. I am convinced that everyone, individually, has what it takes to be a starter within the “Premium” team. If they failed to show it against Uruguay, it is also because there were perhaps too many changes in this match.

But how do you explain this messy copy?

There was a lot of turnover in the squad for this meeting, that didn’t help. This team failed to hold the ball. The only action where she managed to do it by increasing speed was on Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s try. But the match was too choppy, it lacked rhythm. The Blues did not manage to string together three or four periods of play. A complicated match.

The French defense seems less watertight than in the past. Have you noticed it?

I worry about this choice to leave the ball to the opponent. I feel like I’m repeating myself, but the 2022 grand slam was achieved in particular because of the quality of this very aggressive defense which stifled the opponent. It was even violent. With this defense, the Blues prevented their opponents from building their game. The English also built their success on this strategy against Argentina. This is no longer the case for the French team. The defense is more in control, which leaves the initiative to the opponent. And if the opponent has this desire to hold the ball a little, to play forward, it becomes dangerous for the Blues. Against Uruguay, there were also quite a few missed tackles. The XV of France takes tests too easily.

The French XV went from four fouls against the Blacks to fifteen against Uruguay. How do you explain it?

It is a sector that can be linked to the quality of defense. The less hard you defend, the more you suffer and the more mistakes you make. This is a parameter that weighed heavily in the scenario of the meeting. By repeating the mistakes, the Blues put themselves under pressure and let the opponent play in their camp. So many opportunities to score points. Which was not the case against New Zealand. Perhaps the French players had imagined an easier match and they were surprised by the Uruguayans, their commitment, their ability to play. And then, discipline is something very collective. However, the Blues did not play collectively.

Many observers thought this French team was safe from such a performance, particularly because coach Fabien Galthié had, since the start of his mandate, instilled a different state of mind, perhaps more Anglo-Saxon, more cold, in the approach to this type of meeting. Isn’t this match ultimately very “French”?

I was wrong too. I was convinced that this French team had reached a milestone in this register. I was sure of a big victory after the performance seen against the Blacks. Besides, I would have liked this team to be able to do like New Zealand against Namibia. It would have been better for confidence. But OK…

Oui ?

In the collective unconscious, the players surely had in mind the idea of ​​an individual card to play for the rest of the competition. For me, the main problem is there. That’s why I’m not very worried. This is the fate of every World Cup: there is always a trap match. Now he has passed. On to the rest.

Does this painful victory for the “finishers” facilitate the management of Fabien Galthié?

In 2003, there were the “Toasts”, in 2007, there were the “hairdressers”, in 2011 we never really knew who was the starter or the replacement… This year, even if it’s a little hard for the players who were on the field in Lille, none called into question the well-established hierarchy.

If you were coach, how would you compose your team to face Namibia on Thursday in Marseille?

Impossible to leave “Premium” players in the closet for two weeks or three weeks. Nothing replaces the intensity of a match, not even Thibaud Giroud’s training sessions, as hard as they are. It was good to play against Uruguay, but we have to put the church back in the middle of the village. Guys need confidence. Against Namibia, if I were Fabien Galthié, I would play the “Premium” team.

What general impression did the French XV leave you with against Uruguay?

It’s quite paradoxical, but it was the Uruguayans who appealed to me the most. They put heart and desire into it. They also played rugby well. I have to make a mea culpa because I didn’t give much of their skin. I was really pleasantly surprised. As for the French team, it was not at the expected level. The observation is cruel: many players had points to gain, I think they ultimately lost some. Finishers should remain finishers for the rest of the competition.

Fabien Galthié declared that the French team was not there to be “demonstrating or making a clean copy.” What do you think ?

He’s not wrong, the most important thing was to win. We’re not going to question everything for a somewhat botched outing, nor call into question the value of the players. I am convinced that everyone, individually, has what it takes to be a starter within the “Premium” team. If they failed to show it against Uruguay, it is also because there were perhaps too many changes in this match.

But how do you explain this messy copy?

There was a lot of turnover in the squad for this meeting, that didn’t help. This team failed to hold the ball. The only action where she managed to do it by increasing speed was on Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s try. But the match was too choppy, it lacked rhythm. The Blues did not manage to string together three or four periods of play. A complicated match.

The French defense seems less watertight than in the past. Have you noticed it?

I worry about this choice to leave the ball to the opponent. I feel like I’m repeating myself, but the 2022 grand slam was achieved in particular because of the quality of this very aggressive defense which stifled the opponent. It was even violent. With this defense, the Blues prevented their opponents from building their game. The English also built their success on this strategy against Argentina. This is no longer the case for the French team. The defense is more in control, which leaves the initiative to the opponent. And if the opponent has this desire to hold the ball a little, to play forward, it becomes dangerous for the Blues. Against Uruguay, there were also quite a few missed tackles. The XV of France takes tests too easily.

The French XV went from four fouls against the Blacks to fifteen against Uruguay. How do you explain it?

It is a sector that can be linked to the quality of defense. The less hard you defend, the more you suffer and the more mistakes you make. This is a parameter that weighed heavily in the scenario of the meeting. By repeating the mistakes, the Blues put themselves under pressure and let the opponent play in their camp. So many opportunities to score points. Which was not the case against New Zealand. Perhaps the French players had imagined an easier match and they were surprised by the Uruguayans, their commitment, their ability to play. And then, discipline is something very collective. However, the Blues did not play collectively.

Many observers thought this French team was safe from such a performance, particularly because coach Fabien Galthié had, since the start of his mandate, instilled a different state of mind, perhaps more Anglo-Saxon, more cold, in the approach to this type of meeting. Isn’t this match ultimately very “French”?

I was wrong too. I was convinced that this French team had reached a milestone in this register. I was sure of a big victory after the performance seen against the Blacks. Besides, I would have liked this team to be able to do like New Zealand against Namibia. It would have been better for confidence. But OK…

Oui ?

In the collective unconscious, the players surely had in mind the idea of ​​an individual card to play for the rest of the competition. For me, the main problem is there. That’s why I’m not very worried. This is the fate of every World Cup: there is always a trap match. Now he has passed. On to the rest.

Does this painful victory for the “finishers” facilitate the management of Fabien Galthié?

In 2003, there were the “Toasts”, in 2007, there were the “hairdressers”, in 2011 we never really knew who was the starter or the replacement… This year, even if it’s a little hard for the players who were on the field in Lille, none called into question the well-established hierarchy.

If you were coach, how would you compose your team to face Namibia on Thursday in Marseille?

Impossible to leave “Premium” players in the closet for two weeks or three weeks. Nothing replaces the intensity of a match, not even Thibaud Giroud’s training sessions, as hard as they are. It was good to play against Uruguay, but we have to put the church back in the middle of the village. Guys need confidence. Against Namibia, if I were Fabien Galthié, I would play the “Premium” team.

What general impression did the French XV leave you with against Uruguay?

It’s quite paradoxical, but it was the Uruguayans who appealed to me the most. They put heart and desire into it. They also played rugby well. I have to make a mea culpa because I didn’t give much of their skin. I was really pleasantly surprised. As for the French team, it was not at the expected level. The observation is cruel: many players had points to gain, I think they ultimately lost some. Finishers should remain finishers for the rest of the competition.

Fabien Galthié declared that the French team was not there to be “demonstrating or making a clean copy.” What do you think ?

He’s not wrong, the most important thing was to win. We’re not going to question everything for a somewhat botched outing, nor call into question the value of the players. I am convinced that everyone, individually, has what it takes to be a starter within the “Premium” team. If they failed to show it against Uruguay, it is also because there were perhaps too many changes in this match.

But how do you explain this messy copy?

There was a lot of turnover in the squad for this meeting, that didn’t help. This team failed to hold the ball. The only action where she managed to do it by increasing speed was on Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s try. But the match was too choppy, it lacked rhythm. The Blues did not manage to string together three or four periods of play. A complicated match.

The French defense seems less watertight than in the past. Have you noticed it?

I worry about this choice to leave the ball to the opponent. I feel like I’m repeating myself, but the 2022 grand slam was achieved in particular because of the quality of this very aggressive defense which stifled the opponent. It was even violent. With this defense, the Blues prevented their opponents from building their game. The English also built their success on this strategy against Argentina. This is no longer the case for the French team. The defense is more in control, which leaves the initiative to the opponent. And if the opponent has this desire to hold the ball a little, to play forward, it becomes dangerous for the Blues. Against Uruguay, there were also quite a few missed tackles. The XV of France takes tests too easily.

The French XV went from four fouls against the Blacks to fifteen against Uruguay. How do you explain it?

It is a sector that can be linked to the quality of defense. The less hard you defend, the more you suffer and the more mistakes you make. This is a parameter that weighed heavily in the scenario of the meeting. By repeating the mistakes, the Blues put themselves under pressure and let the opponent play in their camp. So many opportunities to score points. Which was not the case against New Zealand. Perhaps the French players had imagined an easier match and they were surprised by the Uruguayans, their commitment, their ability to play. And then, discipline is something very collective. However, the Blues did not play collectively.

Many observers thought this French team was safe from such a performance, particularly because coach Fabien Galthié had, since the start of his mandate, instilled a different state of mind, perhaps more Anglo-Saxon, more cold, in the approach to this type of meeting. Isn’t this match ultimately very “French”?

I was wrong too. I was convinced that this French team had reached a milestone in this register. I was sure of a big victory after the performance seen against the Blacks. Besides, I would have liked this team to be able to do like New Zealand against Namibia. It would have been better for confidence. But OK…

Oui ?

In the collective unconscious, the players surely had in mind the idea of ​​an individual card to play for the rest of the competition. For me, the main problem is there. That’s why I’m not very worried. This is the fate of every World Cup: there is always a trap match. Now he has passed. On to the rest.

Does this painful victory for the “finishers” facilitate the management of Fabien Galthié?

In 2003, there were the “Toasts”, in 2007, there were the “hairdressers”, in 2011 we never really knew who was the starter or the replacement… This year, even if it’s a little hard for the players who were on the field in Lille, none called into question the well-established hierarchy.

If you were coach, how would you compose your team to face Namibia on Thursday in Marseille?

Impossible to leave “Premium” players in the closet for two weeks or three weeks. Nothing replaces the intensity of a match, not even Thibaud Giroud’s training sessions, as hard as they are. It was good to play against Uruguay, but we have to put the church back in the middle of the village. Guys need confidence. Against Namibia, if I were Fabien Galthié, I would play the “Premium” team.

What general impression did the French XV leave you with against Uruguay?

It’s quite paradoxical, but it was the Uruguayans who appealed to me the most. They put heart and desire into it. They also played rugby well. I have to make a mea culpa because I didn’t give much of their skin. I was really pleasantly surprised. As for the French team, it was not at the expected level. The observation is cruel: many players had points to gain, I think they ultimately lost some. Finishers should remain finishers for the rest of the competition.

Fabien Galthié declared that the French team was not there to be “demonstrating or making a clean copy.” What do you think ?

He’s not wrong, the most important thing was to win. We’re not going to question everything for a somewhat botched outing, nor call into question the value of the players. I am convinced that everyone, individually, has what it takes to be a starter within the “Premium” team. If they failed to show it against Uruguay, it is also because there were perhaps too many changes in this match.

But how do you explain this messy copy?

There was a lot of turnover in the squad for this meeting, that didn’t help. This team failed to hold the ball. The only action where she managed to do it by increasing speed was on Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s try. But the match was too choppy, it lacked rhythm. The Blues did not manage to string together three or four periods of play. A complicated match.

The French defense seems less watertight than in the past. Have you noticed it?

I worry about this choice to leave the ball to the opponent. I feel like I’m repeating myself, but the 2022 grand slam was achieved in particular because of the quality of this very aggressive defense which stifled the opponent. It was even violent. With this defense, the Blues prevented their opponents from building their game. The English also built their success on this strategy against Argentina. This is no longer the case for the French team. The defense is more in control, which leaves the initiative to the opponent. And if the opponent has this desire to hold the ball a little, to play forward, it becomes dangerous for the Blues. Against Uruguay, there were also quite a few missed tackles. The XV of France takes tests too easily.

The French XV went from four fouls against the Blacks to fifteen against Uruguay. How do you explain it?

It is a sector that can be linked to the quality of defense. The less hard you defend, the more you suffer and the more mistakes you make. This is a parameter that weighed heavily in the scenario of the meeting. By repeating the mistakes, the Blues put themselves under pressure and let the opponent play in their camp. So many opportunities to score points. Which was not the case against New Zealand. Perhaps the French players had imagined an easier match and they were surprised by the Uruguayans, their commitment, their ability to play. And then, discipline is something very collective. However, the Blues did not play collectively.

Many observers thought this French team was safe from such a performance, particularly because coach Fabien Galthié had, since the start of his mandate, instilled a different state of mind, perhaps more Anglo-Saxon, more cold, in the approach to this type of meeting. Isn’t this match ultimately very “French”?

I was wrong too. I was convinced that this French team had reached a milestone in this register. I was sure of a big victory after the performance seen against the Blacks. Besides, I would have liked this team to be able to do like New Zealand against Namibia. It would have been better for confidence. But OK…

Oui ?

In the collective unconscious, the players surely had in mind the idea of ​​an individual card to play for the rest of the competition. For me, the main problem is there. That’s why I’m not very worried. This is the fate of every World Cup: there is always a trap match. Now he has passed. On to the rest.

Does this painful victory for the “finishers” facilitate the management of Fabien Galthié?

In 2003, there were the “Toasts”, in 2007, there were the “hairdressers”, in 2011 we never really knew who was the starter or the replacement… This year, even if it’s a little hard for the players who were on the field in Lille, none called into question the well-established hierarchy.

If you were coach, how would you compose your team to face Namibia on Thursday in Marseille?

Impossible to leave “Premium” players in the closet for two weeks or three weeks. Nothing replaces the intensity of a match, not even Thibaud Giroud’s training sessions, as hard as they are. It was good to play against Uruguay, but we have to put the church back in the middle of the village. Guys need confidence. Against Namibia, if I were Fabien Galthié, I would play the “Premium” team.

What general impression did the French XV leave you with against Uruguay?

It’s quite paradoxical, but it was the Uruguayans who appealed to me the most. They put heart and desire into it. They also played rugby well. I have to make a mea culpa because I didn’t give much of their skin. I was really pleasantly surprised. As for the French team, it was not at the expected level. The observation is cruel: many players had points to gain, I think they ultimately lost some. Finishers should remain finishers for the rest of the competition.

Fabien Galthié declared that the French team was not there to be “demonstrating or making a clean copy.” What do you think ?

He’s not wrong, the most important thing was to win. We’re not going to question everything for a somewhat botched outing, nor call into question the value of the players. I am convinced that everyone, individually, has what it takes to be a starter within the “Premium” team. If they failed to show it against Uruguay, it is also because there were perhaps too many changes in this match.

But how do you explain this messy copy?

There was a lot of turnover in the squad for this meeting, that didn’t help. This team failed to hold the ball. The only action where she managed to do it by increasing speed was on Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s try. But the match was too choppy, it lacked rhythm. The Blues did not manage to string together three or four periods of play. A complicated match.

The French defense seems less watertight than in the past. Have you noticed it?

I worry about this choice to leave the ball to the opponent. I feel like I’m repeating myself, but the 2022 grand slam was achieved in particular because of the quality of this very aggressive defense which stifled the opponent. It was even violent. With this defense, the Blues prevented their opponents from building their game. The English also built their success on this strategy against Argentina. This is no longer the case for the French team. The defense is more in control, which leaves the initiative to the opponent. And if the opponent has this desire to hold the ball a little, to play forward, it becomes dangerous for the Blues. Against Uruguay, there were also quite a few missed tackles. The XV of France takes tests too easily.

The French XV went from four fouls against the Blacks to fifteen against Uruguay. How do you explain it?

It is a sector that can be linked to the quality of defense. The less hard you defend, the more you suffer and the more mistakes you make. This is a parameter that weighed heavily in the scenario of the meeting. By repeating the mistakes, the Blues put themselves under pressure and let the opponent play in their camp. So many opportunities to score points. Which was not the case against New Zealand. Perhaps the French players had imagined an easier match and they were surprised by the Uruguayans, their commitment, their ability to play. And then, discipline is something very collective. However, the Blues did not play collectively.

Many observers thought this French team was safe from such a performance, particularly because coach Fabien Galthié had, since the start of his mandate, instilled a different state of mind, perhaps more Anglo-Saxon, more cold, in the approach to this type of meeting. Isn’t this match ultimately very “French”?

I was wrong too. I was convinced that this French team had reached a milestone in this register. I was sure of a big victory after the performance seen against the Blacks. Besides, I would have liked this team to be able to do like New Zealand against Namibia. It would have been better for confidence. But OK…

Oui ?

In the collective unconscious, the players surely had in mind the idea of ​​an individual card to play for the rest of the competition. For me, the main problem is there. That’s why I’m not very worried. This is the fate of every World Cup: there is always a trap match. Now he has passed. On to the rest.

Does this painful victory for the “finishers” facilitate the management of Fabien Galthié?

In 2003, there were the “Toasts”, in 2007, there were the “hairdressers”, in 2011 we never really knew who was the starter or the replacement… This year, even if it’s a little hard for the players who were on the field in Lille, none called into question the well-established hierarchy.

If you were coach, how would you compose your team to face Namibia on Thursday in Marseille?

Impossible to leave “Premium” players in the closet for two weeks or three weeks. Nothing replaces the intensity of a match, not even Thibaud Giroud’s training sessions, as hard as they are. It was good to play against Uruguay, but we have to put the church back in the middle of the village. Guys need confidence. Against Namibia, if I were Fabien Galthié, I would play the “Premium” team.