Ibañez concerned for French scrum

Former France captain Raphaël Ibañez is concerned that a weak French scrum against England could prove very costly.

Former France captain Raphaël Ibañez is concerned that a weak French scrum against England could prove very costly.

The heartbeat of the French scrum for so long, Ibañez recently retired from international rugby to focus on his club duties with Wasps, but knows as well as anyone the pride the French take in their scrum.

He was rightly alarmed then as he watched the French pack concede a penalty try against Ireland last weekend as a result of the scrum buckling under pressure.

“I cannot remember any French team giving away a penalty try in the scrum at Stade de France, or anywhere else for that matter,” Ibañez told The Independent.

“That's pretty embarrassing. Of course England will target this area, but at least France will have had two weeks to prepare a plan.”

And the man charged with hatching that plan is new head coach Marc Lièvremont.

With two wins from two, the former Dax coach has a one hundred per cent record thus far as boss of Les Bleus but is facing mounting pressure over the set-piece. Much of this stems from the five successive scrums leading up to that penalty try, two of which resulted in Irish penalties.

Ibañez is convinced that the shock of a penalty try will force Lièvremont into a re-think ahead of the arrival of England on Saturday.

“Marc has his convictions, he wants his players free to attack the opposition, to play what's in front of them,” said Ibañez.

“But he will not forget the basics. The first half against Ireland was pretty exceptional, especially from the back three. The second half showed a few problems at set-pieces.

“Now there's a big debate in France about how the team should approach the game. I may be wrong, but I think the forwards will play a bigger part against England, they will try to work more around the fringes.”

If that is the case then there is a chance it will play into England's hands, and Iba̱ez knows how dangerous that can be Рhaving been on the end of a huge effort from England's pack in the World Cup semi-final last year. However he draws strength from his personal experience of Li̬vremont.

“It was interesting to see Marc's reaction after the Ireland match,” Ibañez added.

“Straight afterwards he said he was pleased and proud.

“The following day he went into his players' meeting and said he wasn't happy at all with their control. Just because he is giving players freedom doesn't mean there is no control.

“When we were playing, Marc was one of the most honest players in the French squad – direct, a hard worker and quiet but a strong character.

“He is a bit like me, there's a desire boiling inside and sometimes it can come out when you don't see it coming.”

Ibañez recalls an incident about three weeks before the 1999 World Cup. The French had finished bottom of the Five Nations, losing at home to Scotland and Wales.

“We were in trouble, the atmosphere in the training camp was terrible,” Ibañez said.

“I'd had enough, I set up a meeting. I was the first to speak as captain and Marc was the second. He hadn't said a single word for about two months. But what he said that day was pretty harsh.

“He was face to face with one particular player – a forward who is still playing today – and he said, 'We're starting a World Cup soon and I don't really know if I can trust you'.

“It was a moment we have always remembered. We started winning games and we ended up in the Final.”

Having been in the French set-up longer than most, Ibañez is in a good position to give Lièvremont a few words of advice.

“I read that at his first training session as France coach the fans were disappointed,” said Ibañez.

“They were waiting for Marc to say something but he left it for [assistant coaches] Emile Ntamack and Didier Retière. I smiled and I thought, 'Yeah, this is Marc'.

“But it's the team of the nation and the people have the right to know what's going on. You need to give some of your emotions to the fans. It's not easy for him, I guess.”

If the scrum does not improve against England it is set to get a whole lot harder for the young coach.