“Heroic”, “the Brave”, “incredible courage”… The French press salutes the feat and the state of mind of the XV of France

“Heroic”. This is the term most often used in the headlines of the French press to describe the extra soul it took for the French XV to win against South Africa (21-19) at the Stade de France.

“Despite a great comeback from the Springboks in the second act, Antoine Dupont’s teammates resisted and achieved a prestigious success against the reigning double world champions,” summarizes Rugbyrama. Followed by the daily L’Equipe: “She did not fall into the trap of frontal rugby which would have been fatal to her, ending heroically. It was both magnificent and unbreathable: first when the tricolor mastery took hold in the first period, then when the Blues organized resistance in the second to hold on to the result, without scoring a single point, with the strength of their conviction and a newfound defense.”

“Two small points to defend like starving people, pushed by a Stade de France singing the Marseillaise to give them heart to the work,” insists Le Figaro. “And it was a final disintegrating tackle from Louis Bielle Biarrey in stoppage time which offered a prestigious victory to the French XV.” Le Parisien, for his part, wanted to salute the performance of Antoine Dupont, one more masterpiece to his credit. “It was a great evening for the XV of France, who used the ammunition at their disposal to perfection. With, once again, a huge Dupont. With his hand or his foot, the Toulouse man offered caviars to his teammates, and above all, he reacted with a dexterity that we no longer knew he had to each ball recovered.

With this victory, the XV of France firmly places itself at the top of its group with a clear view of the final of this Nations Championship. But this success has an even greater significance for Rugbyrama. “Less than a year before the World Cup, this victory, acquired at the cost of incredible courage, is worth all the gold in the world and reminds us that this French team, even battered, has sufficient squad depth to bring down the best.”

And Ouest-France concludes: “In the meantime, no one will be able to deny the pleasure of having witnessed one of the finest performances of the Galthié era. This match was just a step. Perhaps one of the most notable. Well ensconced in their beds on this autumnal Saturday morning, the French public should have a little thought for the exhausted bodies of the 22 Blues, marked with bruises and stories that such a fight imposes.