Record-breaking Six Nations puts France at Springboks' door
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NEWS: France's crowning as this season's Six Nations champions underlined their status as genuine contenders to South Africa's global supremacy thanks to an efficient gameplan, generational individual talents and some record-setting performances.
The French produced a 20-minute second-half burst to cruise past Scotland in Paris on Saturday for their second championship since the head coach Fabien Galthie took over in late 2019.
After thrashing Wales in their opener, Les Bleus overcame a one-point loss at England in round two to trounce Italy and sweep past holders Ireland in Dublin to set up the decider at the Stade de France.
France's success was mastered thanks to a best-ever try count in the tournament, Thomas Ramos' accurate goal-kicking and the unorthodox use of seven forwards on the substitutes' bench balancing brutal power and lightning speed out wide.
"The game in Ireland was, I feel, the stand-out match from the past six years," Galthie told reporters.
"They were on to a Grand Slam, we were on our journey, everything was possible.
"This (Scotland) game was a final and now we're building."
The title was secured even in the absence of scrumhalf Antoine Dupont, who suffered a serious knee injury after just half an hour of the victory in Dublin and was in crutches in the stand for the win over Scotland.
Maxime Lucu stood in for the talisman at scrumhalf while No. 8 Gregory Alldritt captained the team against Scotland.
Alldritt was part of a dominant pack, as Galthie chose to name almost a whole new set of forwards on the bench, as first done so by the Springboks in 2023.
"We'll still work hard to win, not just leave our mark on history, but leave our mark on ourselves," Alldritt said.
"We have a long-term vision as players," he added.
Stacked
France scored a record 30 touchdowns during the tournament, winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey crossing eight times in five games and fullback Ramos leapfrogging Frederic Michalak as his country's all-time leading points scorer.
"We can still improve, that's for sure, mainly to recycle ball quicker," Ramos said.
"If we score so many tries, so many points, everyone enjoys it and we players, too," the 29-year-old added.
Next up for Galthie's squad is a three-Test series in New Zealand in July, although the former France scrumhalf and captain is likely to take a second-string side to the southern hemisphere.
Players involved in June 28's Top 14 Final will not be involved and Galthie has hinted at resting a string of first-choice players, including Alldritt and Ramos.
Centre Yoram Moefana played all of the five games in the Six Nations success, but could miss the tour as his Bordeaux-Begles side are contenders for the French league title.
Moefana grew up on the French Polynesian territory of Wallis and Futuna in the south Pacific, a four-hour flight from New Zealand.
"The future will tell," Moefana said. "If I'm lucky enough to go, we know New Zealand are a great team, every player wants to play big teams.
"But for the end of this season I'll concentrate more on Bordeaux-Begles."
After the trip south, France hosts three November internationals including a chance of revenge for the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final loss to double champions South Africa and an opportunity for bragging rights two years out from the showpiece event in Australia.
"We have a stacked year," Alldritt said. "With a tour in New Zealand and a big November.
"The team is already motivated to win more games and more titles."
