Opinion - Ian Foster watched on as Jordie Barrett cut a frustrated, injured figure at another sweltering All Blacks training today in Lyon, but at least the head of state did not show up demanding answers.
The same cannot be said of Foster's French opposite Fabien Galthie, who has ignited a storm of controversy in the last 24 hours.
Barrett sat out training with what was described by assistant coach Scott McLeod as a "niggle" with his leg, with no firm commitment on whether the starting second five would be ready in time for Saturday morning's (NZT) crunch World Cup opener in Paris.
"We're taking precautions, we'll just see today and tomorrow to see how he responds to treatment," McLeod said.
"Yeah he has been really important to how we play. But we trust our whole squad and we're going to have to in this World Cup."
Jordie Barrett. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
If Barrett was ruled out, the All Blacks do have cover in David Havili and Anton Lienart-Brown, with Havili saying: "Things like this can happen, injuries can come out of nowhere. It's a full team thing, we have to be ready to go."
Both player and coach fielded questions about pressure and expectations that have quickly become a feature of the local media.
McLeod said that memories of the hiding France gave the All Blacks in 2021 meant they still "had a knot in their gut", and the coaching staff have been showing footage of just where they were torn apart in the 40-25 loss.
"That hurt, and we've held on to that a little bit," McLeod said.
"We've shown clips to the boys, so we see similarity in the way they play now ... but they've added a lot of kicking to space which is more of a threat ... they ran out and around us, and through us ... we can't allow that."
McLeod confirmed that Romain Ntamack's dazzling breakout from his own dead ball line in that game had been one of the clips shown, adding that the players were "sick to death" of seeing it.
"It gives us the opportunity to get better," Havili said when asked about what the team got out of reliving the Stade de France debacle.
"You take the tough losses on the chin, you move forward and get better."
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with France's head coach Fabien Galthie during a meeting with the team at their base camp's training pitch in Rueil-Malmaison, outside Paris, on 4 September. Photo: Ludovic Marin / POOL / AFP
Up the road in Paris, French president Emile Macron showed up to have a chat with Galthié about the controversial selection of Bastien Charlureau.
Two years ago, the lock was arrested and charged with what was described as a racially motivated assault in Tolouse, and handed a six month suspended prison sentence.
Charlureau has denied any such motivations against the two men of Arabic descent, however he has not exactly helped his image since by liking Instagram posts by far right rapper Millésime K, whose lyrics are the full house of open racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia, as well as highlighting what he sees as 'anti-white discrimination'.
"Il doit dire les choses"
— RMC Sport (@RMCsport) September 4, 2023
Fabien Galthié et Emmanuel Macron échangent sur la polémique autour de Bastien Chalureau pic.twitter.com/GMOGIQ4ZhO
Macron and Galthié did not bust out Spotify for a bit of Millésime K, but the very public meeting showed the president making a fairly obvious demand that Charlureu make a public statement as soon as possible.
It cannot be understated what a media disruption this is causing Galthié's previously composed and focused side that has impressed the world so much over the past few years. He did not address it with media, preferring to magnanimously declare that: "We French, we love the All Blacks ... we are going to attack a different combination but we are not going to change our habits of four years. We learned, progressed, worked together and got through the four years. This will be (his French side's) fortieth match together, it will be a classic week of test match preparation which will be played on Friday."
Still though, this latest development shows that as hard as they try, French rugby is probably never going to shake their reputation for self-implosion. And as much as the All Blacks will deny it, every bit is music to their ears as they head to Paris.
