The French national rugby team, defeated by Ireland on Friday night (17-38), is now turning its attention to the tough away match in Scotland next Saturday in the Six Nations Tournament. The trip to Edinburgh is expected to be perilous and will reveal a lot about the team’s ability to bounce back from the recent setback. Following the huge disappointment of the World Cup and an early exit in the quarter-finals, the poor start in the 2024 Six Nations against Ireland raises questions. It presents a simple dilemma: bounce back or crisis.
The nickname “Marcatraz” seems particularly fitting considering the overall atmosphere and the gloomy weather expected in the Paris region this week. At 3pm, a member of Fabien Galthié’s staff, whose name has not been disclosed, will face the press. It may not be an easy task, given the many questions raised by the performance on Friday night. Training sessions, open to the media, are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, before the announcement of the 23-player list on Thursday at 11:30am.
Some changes are expected. On Friday, the team will travel to Edinburgh before the captain’s traditional training session on the Murrayfield pitch at 2:30pm. Finally, on Saturday, it’s game time, with the kick-off scheduled for 3:45pm.