Just occasionally in sport the scoreboard becomes a side issue. For everyone in Paris on Saturday night, particularly those from across the Channel, what will really stick in the mind is the overriding post-match mood of genuine Gallic excitement. As France’s euphoric supporters celebrated their team’s deserved grand slam it was hard not to envisage many more champagne moments ahead.
It was also a tantalising amuse bouche for what awaits when France host next year’s World Cup. Gazing into the future is never an exact science but Les Bleus appear to have an impressive number of bases covered. A young team, with rare talents such as Virimi Vakatawa, Charles Ollivon, Matthieu Jalibert and Teddy Thomas striving just to make the wider squad, has the potential to achieve special things and the entire country is uniting proudly behind them.
