France star worried about particular England tactic ahead of Le Crunch in the Six Nations
France are aiming to be crowned Six Nations champions for consecutive years when they face England in Paris this Saturday.
Les Bleus know that a bonus point victory would guarantee them the title this weekend, with the result between their title rivals Scotland and Ireland being made redundant.
Le Crunch is a famous and rich rivalry which has endured throughout the Five Nations and now into the Six Nations in which centuries of hatred are brought up for 80 minutes between France and England on a rugby pitch.
However, this could prove to be a defining match for Fabian Galthie, who, despite the wealth of talent he has had at his disposal, has only ever managed to win two Six Nations titles and a solitary Grand Slam.
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He will be aware of the pressure upon him to deliver as will his players, but there is concern about what Steve Borthwick’s side may bring to the party, with Pierre-Louis Barassi particularly worried about one tactic the English employ.
He said: “The English are on a three-game losing streak, but they'll try to finish the competition strong by preventing us from winning the Six Nations. They're a team that uses the kicking game a lot. We struggled in that area in Scotland, so we need to turn things around because we know we'll be challenged there."
The French centre is wanting to put the Scottish defeat behind him but realises that it has still had a seismic impact on Galthie’s squad ahead of this fixture with England.
As France prepare to celebrate their 120th anniversary of their first fixture against the English with a light blue jersey, there is a sense that lifting the Six Nations has been spoilt by Gregor Townsend’s team.
Barassi said: “We needed time to digest that performance against Scotland (50-40). It took us a day to do that, but in this tournament, we don't have time to dwell on it for too long; we have to move on quickly. So, we immediately started working on this England team.
“Winning the tournament without a Grand Slam won't be the same, but once that's said, what do we do? We can't go back.
“Today, the only way to erase last week's disappointment would be to beat England to finish things off. A tournament victory is significant. It's been twenty years since the French team managed to win the tournament two years in a row.
“Okay, we lost in Scotland, but life goes on; we have to move forward. We have one match left to play, and we have to win it. This week, we've certainly prepared for the next match with a little less composure since we lost last weekend. But that's our life as athletes.”
Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. In the Six Nations Tournament, there are always surprises.
Topics: Rugby, Rugby Union
Brendan McGilligan