France unleashed the potential of their young stars on the Six Nations in the 2020 campaign, producing a series of excellent performances to put them in contention to claim their first triumph in nine years.
Les Bleus’ quest for the Grand Slam was ended in a bizarre defeat to Scotland. Having dominated England, Italy, and Wales, France lost their discipline at Murrayfield as Mohamed Haouas was dismissed for punching Jamie Ritchie.
As a result, their hopes of sweeping the northern hemisphere sides was ended, and has endangered their chances of winning the tournament. England edged ahead of Fabian Galthie’s men and the Red Rose are the leading contenders to close out the title when the competition resumes.
While the postponement of the Six Nations was unexpected, it’s still all to play for. Even if France fail to win, in its rescheduled dates for September, it should not be a disappointment for the nation. For too long they were unable to compete in the tournament as well as their matches against the southern hemisphere outfits. However, Les Bleus have taken tremendous strides forward trusting in their young talent to thrive, which could pave the way for them to compete for the Web Ellis Trophy, being backed in the rugby union betting odds at 6/1 to win the crown on home soil in three years.
Charles Ollivon is an outstanding leader and one that could be in place for many years in the France forward line. The 26-year-old is a dominant force as the openside flanker, using his power and agility to inspire his team-mates – none more so than his two-try performance against England. Ollivon is not alone as Gregory Alldritt, Francois Cros, Paul Willemse, Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, and Haouas are changing the perception of Les Bleus, handing Galthie a potent pack to torment their opponents.
Romain Ntamack has taken huge strides his development. Whereas Ollivon was the impact player in the win over England, Ntamack was the architect of their display to defeat Wales at the Millennium Stadium. He controlled the game from the fly-half position, never allowing the Dragons to get on the front foot. Ntamack always had an answer with his distribution, while he was deadly accurate with his boot.
The 20-year-old’s interception and score early in the second half helped decide the contest, highlighting his instincts and talent. Ntamack has the ability to become one of the best in the world at the number 10 spot, and his early injury in the defeat to Scotland proved how important he has become to Les Bleus. The exciting prospect is that he is only scratching the surface of his potential.
Outside of Ntamack, Antoine Dupont has offered quick-thinking and ingenuity at scrum-half. The backfield is stacked talent so much so that Teddy Thomas was left out of the side for the clash against Scotland. Gael Fickou, Damian Penaud, Arthur Vincent, Virimi Vakatawa, and Anthony Bouthier have all operated at an incredibly high level in the Six Nations.
There is scope for improvement to match the production England have seen out of their backs in recent years. With young players coming into the fold, France should have an even healthier competition for places come the 2023 World Cup. On the basis of the potential of their squad, they could be conquerors of Europe and the world over the next three years.
