I remember growing up watching England play France in the Six Nations.  Most years this game was pretty boring to watch as French rugby had lost its exciting flare. Then once every few years we would get a brief glimpse of what French rugby can be.

Over the last year or so this has started to change.  They have gone from an average team with some good moments to a contender to being in the conversation for one of the best international teams of the current day. I believe for many years the issue with French rugby was the professional set up in the country.  Teams like Toulon and Racing 92 are some of the best in Europe. However, the problem is these teams are owned by billionaires who just want to throw money at the team, to bring in some of the best players from around the world. So top internationals like Dan Carter, Ma’a Nonu spend the last years of their career in France to get some big pay checks before retirement at the expense of developing French talent that can play for the national team.

I believe the transformation of the French team is predominantly down to two individuals Antoine Dupont and Shaun Edwards.

When talking about who is the best player in the world right now a common name mentioned is Antoine Dupont.  He has the ability to tear defences apart and make opportunities out of nothing. It says something when the New Zealand scrum half praises you on twitter.

Tweet from New Zealand scrum half Aaron Smith

Dupont has made French rugby exciting to watch again, just to see what wonder play he is going to make. What’s even more exciting about him is that he’s only 24, with a long career ahead of him. However, it’s not just his talent in games that have changed French rugby. He has also proved that France can develop their own talent to be some of the best in the world.

Since Shaun Edwards joined the coaching staff in 2020 there has been a significant difference in the attitude of the team. Defensive coaches are often overlooked because everyone focusses on the attack and tries for the highlight real, but Shaun has had a much greater influence on the team. At the international level, players have high skill levels, so what sets a team apart is the non-negotiables like attitude, physicality, work rate, aggression and desire. I don’t think anyone over recent months would argue that France lack any of these. Their defence is a perfect example of this. Players have a desire to get off the line and make dominant tackles and are proud to represent their country.

Although France came up short last weekend against England what an exciting game it was to watch. The game could have been won by either team. Now France have proved that they are a top level team, I cant wait for them to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023 and the level of competition that it will bring.