Late on a Saturday evening in the bowels of Twickenham, Fabien Galthie was fretting about the future. It was round two of the Six Nations and France had just been beaten by England – or rather had beaten themselves. Thrice in an opening 50 minutes where they had their foot on the hosts’ throat, France had moved to within metres of the English line only to cough up the ball. Six Nations history shows it is hard to battle back from any early loss and make a tilt at the title; it is tougher still when the defeat feels so damaging.
It was not just the performance under scrutiny but France’s psyche and style. “Are your side arrogant?”, one journalist asked Galthie. “Have they been complacent?”, enquired another. A prevailing discussion in France was whether the fast and loose style employed so successfully by Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles was suitable for Test level given the opportunities that the national team were passing up. Facing the prospect of another unsuccessful Six Nations campaign, a sniff of silverware again passed up by the golden generation, Galthie might even have begun to fear for his position – in French rugby, where a cabal of clubs hold plenty of power – one can never rule out a coup.
