A small event, Saturday in Lyon against Fiji. Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack will start together in the blue jersey for the first time in 610 days, and a match against Ireland on March 7, 2025. A Toulouse hinge seen in the French XV jersey only twice since the 2023 World Cup. A great return which obviously delights the Catalan Patrick Arlettaz, in charge of the French attack.
What emotion does the return, finally, of the Dupont-Ntamack hinge give you?
Patrick Arlettaz: Emotion, that goes a bit far. But we are delighted to see the two of them together again because they are both in good shape. They have been very competitive since the end of last season… We know that it arouses a lot of passion. That it is an important asset for the XV of France. And, at the same time, we are disappointed not to have everyone (Jalibert is out, Editor’s note)…
Since the 2023 World Cup, they have only been associated twice in the French team. But, for you, was this hinge still the one you wanted to see?
We don't think about who we're going to associate with. We rely on the strengths of the moment, individual performances. We have this richness of having different profiles with Max (Lucu), with Antoine, with Matthieu (Jalibert), Romain, Thomas (Ramos). Everyone has something to bring. Obviously, we are delighted to have Antoine and Romain at this level. We are very impatient to start this competition with them. But, to project ourselves on a hinge - I know you like that (smile) - we see that unfortunately, through injuries, there is often no choice left to make.
Did you find, like some, that Antoine Dupont was a little behind during the last Six Nations Tournament? And would you say that he is now back to his best level?
When we talk about Antoine Dupont, it’s always very difficult to say that he’s a little in it! I think he is already much better physically. I find him refreshed, in full capacity of his physical means. The Tournament, ultimately, was a bit rushed. We tend to find everything normal as long as Antoine puts on the jersey. But he was recovering from a serious injury, he had very few matches to prepare and, undoubtedly, it dragged him a little. There, we can clearly see that he is in full possession of his means, that he is 100% physically. As technically he is above any player, he was able to compensate for this during the Tournament. There he has both at the same time. So, there is nothing to complain about.
A year ago, in Bordeaux, the Fijians caused a lot of problems (34-21 victory). How to avoid the same scenario?
These are players that we know well since there are many of them in the Top 14. They have enormous individual qualities of speed, support, destruction from time to time because their physique is so impressive. Above all, they gave us a lot of problems in midfield. We remember that very quickly, moreover, we lost Pierre-Louis Barassi and Émilien Gailleton, the holder and the one who returned to his place (in the center). Then, they also gave us problems on the outside and in defense by preventing us from developing our game. After leading 21-0, we got lost a little bit.
That's to say ?
As soon as you no longer win duels against this type of team, as soon as you no longer put the fight in the collective but as you fall into one-on-one, inevitably, you are heading towards disappointment. So, collectively, we will have to be better. We will have to win the microduels to prevent them from meeting each other as they move forward. They love dueling. they must always be sent back to a collective fight. To do well against the Fijians, you have to put them in something where they are not comfortable. Because where they are comfortable, they are among the best in the world. Last year, I found that we reinforced what they do best. And it was a bit of professional misconduct...
Does the fact that players from both teams rub shoulders in the French championship change the preparation for this meeting?
No, that doesn't change it. The only thing is that the Fijian players really want to beat the French players because they play with them in the championship. It adds to the spirit. And the French know all the qualities of the Fijians because they take them every week or they play with them. It makes this match too important and too difficult to think about the next one.
Is this meeting a form of dress rehearsal before facing the Springboks, six days later at the Stade de France?
It could have been... on the imagination. And then I remembered last year's match against the Fijians (smile). What we're going to do is we're going to think a lot about the Fijians for four days. Afterwards, it will be time to think about South Africa... We can clearly see how dangerous this Fiji team is. This is not a preparation match for the one after. It’s a real difficult match to win from the start. So we're going to focus a lot on this one because if we want to continue to be first in the Conference North, we have to beat Fiji. And I'm not sure that by taking it as a preparation match, we will be able to beat them.
Precisely, does the fact that the Nations Championship is a competition with a ranking, and no longer a simple tour, change the approach?
This summer, we clearly felt the popular enthusiasm for this new competition. But also a particular interest among players who were interested in the ranking, to know how they stood compared to other teams in the northern hemisphere. It is undeniable. They are all competitors. They all want to win trophies, they have an insatiable appetite. As soon as you add a trophy to them, inevitably, they are in it. It’s one of the driving forces in our sport. That’s also why we do this. And players are no exception to the rule. So, indeed, we felt this excitement. I think it’s cool…
