France far from pre-2023 level, says coach Galthie
PARIS :France coach Fabien Galthie said his side remained well short of the level they reached in the previous World Cup cycle despite Saturday’s 48-33 win over Australia in the Autumn series, warning that repeated lapses in discipline and defence continued to hold them back.
Galthie said the first-half performance — they went into the break tied 19-19 after conceding a string of penalties — showed how far France had slipped since entering the 2023 World Cup as one of the favourites, only to be knocked out by South Africa by a single point in the quarter-finals.
“We can always question our production, especially in the first half with the indiscipline,” Galthie said.
“If we compare with four years ago, we’re not at the same level. Back then we were more solid, more consistent, with 24 wins from 26 matches.”
Captain Antoine Dupont's long injury absence is obviously an added obstacle to rebuilding cohesion but France showed too many flaws in the Autumn series, completely cracking in a 32-17 defeat against South Africa while victories against Fiji and Australia were far from convincing.
“Conceding 12 tries in three matches and giving away eight penalties inside the 22 metres against Australia highlight the scale of the work ahead,” said Galthie.
“It gives us an enormous amount to work on, there’s no point being ready too early.”
France, though, were not standing still, Galthie said.
“I sense great competition within the squad,” he said. “There are players with real potential emerging.”
Among them is centre Nicolas Depoortere, who has scored four tries in the last two tests.
France next face Ireland in their Six Nations opener in February.
