Fabien Galthié (XV of France): “Ready to respond to the English”

“Everything is going smoothly so far.
Yes, we are where we wanted to be. But you have to stay humble, stay in your place, there is a game to play. We did everything to be in this position (to win the Grand Slam). It started long before this Tournament. Competitions are also won out of competition. All the work done with the clubs allows us to be in this position today. Is there a feeling of euphoria within the group?
(Shakes his head.) No. There is one game left to play. We are very focused. We are going to experience these two days of preparation with shared pleasure. We want to enjoy every moment that leads us to this appointment. Tonight (Thursday), we have a work meeting, we will analyze our training. We have two full days left. “England is one of the four giants of world rugby” Eddie Jones (England coach) hinted that he knew how to beat France…
(He smiles.) We pay attention to what is being said around us. We hear what the English say. It contributes to our preparatory work. But the appointment is Saturday at 9 p.m. We are ready to respond. There is a whole imagination around the Crunch. In the North, there is a world champion, it’s England (in 2003). They are finalists of the last world (2019, defeat against South Africa). England is one of the four giants of world rugby with France of course. Is your team in good shape heading into the final match?
The last high-intensity training was done with a transition game theme. But we felt it was not necessary to add collision. it does not mean that we are not in good shape. We have adapted this last week to have quality. The goal is to arrive even better than the previous match, it will be. Dupont seems to have settled into the captaincy.
He makes the image of the team a great competition with different matches, different situations, because no match is alike. England have changed their game. They have shaken up rugby Europe with the arrival of Eddie Jones by winning a Grand Slam and 19 consecutive victories. To come back to Dupont, the context matters, but each time, he was able to adapt. He found answers to complex situations. His experience as captain is great. But it’s also time to pay tribute to Charles Ollivon. He is back in the game, he was very good for his return to competition after long months of absence (cruciate ligament rupture). Dupont is there. Let’s live the present, it’s very important, it will enlighten us on the future. »