FRANCE v NEW ZEALAND: THE PERIOD of grace extended to coaches denied the oxygen of results depends on many things. Martin Johnson, for example, has personal history on his side, an epic captain's tale of carrying England on his secondrow shoulders to World Cup victory in 2003.
Against him are levelled his inexperience in a tracksuit, his part in the undignified sacking of his predecessor, Brian Ashton, and the unfortunate impression that people not averse to sunlight are thinking of spending money on just about anything other than going to Twickenham.
Marc Lievremont, a feisty wing forward, never came anywhere near Johnson’s level as a player. He and his brother combined – Thomas was a considerable force at number eight – could not contain Johnson. But if you want a ticket for France’s last game of the autumn, against New Zealand at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille tonight, you will have to dig deep into your wedge of euros. Lievremont, with wins over South Africa and Samoa, has made French Test rugby a hot ticket.
If it is any consolation to Johnson as he reviews the decidedly thin column of plus points to be taken from England’s three internationals, Lievremont was a slow starter, too. On the other hand, the succession came to him naturally, not with a coup like the one that ousted Ashton.
By the end of the 2007 World Cup – that is, this time two years ago – France could not wait to get rid of Bernard Laporte. Anybody who came after the coach responsible for that chaotic campaign, whose low spots of losing to England and twice to Argentina were only underlined by glorious victory over New Zealand in, of all places, Cardiff, was going to have a head start. Anyone who was not the joyless Laporte was going to be given time.
Lievremont filled that space afforded to few with experimentation, catapulting several of the side he had coached at Under-21 level into the full team. Francois Trinh-Duc appeared at outhalf, a teenage Morgan Parra was at scrumhalf. Just as novel was the appearance of Montpellier as a pool of talent alongside bigger and better known French clubs.
The problem for France was that players unafraid to rip up the established code of caution at the top level were also prone to collapse on occasion. This was the old curse of France: you beat New Zealand one week and lose to England the next.
In the Six Nations of 2008, the wonder year for Warren Gatland in his first season as coach of Wales, France provided the opposition in the decisive game in Cardiff. A mighty collision was anticipated, but France were undistinguished.
A year later they travelled on a Sunday to Twickenham to face Johnson’s England, a team still looking for an identity. Riki Flutey tore the French apart. Only last spring, it was Lievremont who was under growing pressure.
Things appear a lot clearer now. The youngsters are still there, although the centre who is very much at the heart of new France, Maxime Mermoz, has a thigh injury. But interwoven among Trinh-Duc and the backrow Fulgence Ouedraogo are older heads, such as Damien Traille.
It is one of the gifts of Lievremont that he has been able to persuade a few of the more outspoken, or at least awkward, heads to come round to his way of thinking. Sebastien Chabal plays in the secondrow and Imanol Harinordoquy, who is also out injured today, has been transformed.
If Lievremont set off at first with a vision of width and passing he has developed a strong, full-frontal style that served France well when they toured New Zealand and at last delivered. They beat the All Blacks in the first Test, and although they lost the second and then in Australia, they showed no signs of indifference or tendency towards self-destruction.
Or at least not on the field. Mathieu Bastareaud provided the element of disintegration off it and has not been seen since. He apologised for claiming to have been assaulted in Wellington, but Lievremont has tapped into France’s truly exceptional pool of centres to replace him. Tonight he has gone with David Marty and Yannick Jauzion, which means France can do without Bastareaud, Yann David, Florian Fritz and Benoit Baby. Extraordinary.
The new captain, Thierry Dusautoir, has also hardened French heads, taking over from Lionel Nallet, who is still around, although parked tonight on the bench. Romain Millo-Chluski in the secondrow has been one of the finds of the autumn, and Fabien Barcella has earned rave reviews for his scrummaging. France shoved South Africa all over Toulouse.
Now for the All Blacks in Marseille. France come armed with confidence and plans A and B. They have been talking of earning respect all week, which suggests that A for assault comes before B for beauty.
It could be the night when their coach swaps his period of grace for the applause of acceptance.
Guardian Service
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