Former All Black Justin Marshall's comments this week will have lit the motivational fire for French coach Fabian Galthié, writes Patrick McKendry.
France’s traditional unpredictability will likely be the main subject of conversation between commentators before tomorrow night’s broadcast of the first Test against the All Blacks but one thing is certain: Criticism of Fabian Galthié’s "weak" squad will form the basis of the head coach’s team talk.
It is difficult to remember a visiting nation being welcomed by such a barrage of criticism from a former All Black as what transpired this week, Justin Marshall leaving viewers on Sky’s Breakdown show in no doubt about his views of Galthié’s inexperienced line-up.
"In my mind it’s complete BS the way that they’re treating this tour, the way that the French always seem to have come up with excuses to not bring their top players," Marshall said. "I feel they disrespect the international window.
"I’m not going to say that it’s not going to be a contest out there but our fans deserve to see their best players playing in our country against our All Blacks because we do that in November to them.
"We send our very best players to fill their stadiums and giving their fans the best experience they can get by seeing the best players in the world.
"They are not doing that and if they keep doing this, which is quite regular for them, just don’t invite them, we’ll play someone else."
Well, then.
Marshall, a former All Blacks halfback, will presumably be similarly unimpressed by Galthié’s match-day squad named late last night which featured five debutants in the starting XV and eight in all.
Of those starting five, Bayonne first-five Joris Segonds, Perpignan prop Giorgi Beria, Montpellier lock Tyler Duguid, Aviron Bayonnais outside back Tom Spring and Clermont back rower Alexandre Fischer have been given the nod.
French centre and captain Gael Fickou (94 caps) is by far the most experienced player in the team.
The focus of Marshall’s ire will likely be more the French Rugby Federation rather than Galthié, who has been hamstrung by the unavailability of the majority of his best players – either due to injury or recent heavy workload. To be fair to Marshall, he makes some good points.
But any such distinction will almost certainly be lost in translation in the French camp over the next couple of days.
Galthié comes across as an erudite and philosophical individual in Netflix’s recent Full Contact series but he will most likely press the most obvious motivational button at his disposal – the "disrespect" Marshall and his fellow Sky presenters have shown his group of relatively young men.
It is a card any coach would play in Galthié’s situation and the opening exchanges against the All Blacks could be fast and furious, one that Scott Robertson’s own starting debutants – lock Fabian Holland and No.8 Christian Lio-Willie – will likely find to be more intense than they have ever experienced.
Indeed, one should not forget the way Robertson has taken the opportunity to be rather experimental himself, with Holland and Lio-Willie starting a Test together a few years after making their provincial debuts for Otago on the same ground and two more debutants, prop Ollie Norris and loose forward Du’Plessis Kirifi, on the bench.
It is worth remembering too that this Test comes 12 months after Robertson’s first – a narrow win over England on the same pitch.
A week after that 16-15 win, the All Blacks were again fortunate for Beauden Barrett’s impact off the bench to get them out of jail 24-17 against the same opposition to preserve the team’s remarkable record at Eden Park.
Robertson and his fellow coaches should be far further ahead in terms of their thinking and experience after a full year of internationals – 10 wins and four losses – and clearly their selections have reflected that.
France, too, will get reinforcements from some of those who played the recent Top 14 final later in the tour and so will become stronger in theory but the first Test may be their best chance of an upset.
Marshall is increasingly breaking the mould as a former All Black-turned-broadcaster for his honesty and deserves credit for his willingness to air his opinions. The game here would be poorer without it.
Should France upset the odds in Dunedin, however, Galthié may owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
France team: Theo Attissogbe, Tom Spring, Emilien Gailleton, Gael Fickou (capt), Gabin Villiere, Joris Segonds, Nolann Le Garrec, Mickael Guillard, Killian Tixeront, Alexandre Fischer, Tyler Duguid, Hugo Auradou, Rabah Slimani, Gaetan Barlot, Giorgi Beria. Reserves: Pierre Bourgarit, Paul Mallez, Regis Montagne, Romain Taofifenua, Cameron Woki, Jacobus van Tonder, Baptiste Jauneau, Antoine Hastoy.
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