Some typically French reports emerged last night that Philippe Saint-André and that the players were now coaching themselves. But at today's press conference, captain Thierry Dusatoir was quick to dismiss these rumours and reports as false.
On Friday, French newspaper L'Obs published an account of the French camp that was portrayed as a group in disharmony and disarray. However, when the French captain spoke to the media today he assured them that the team was behind Saint-André:
I don’t understand what everyone is talking about.
We prepare for this game as a team and all the boys, coaches and manager are working together.
The L'Obs article claimed that some of the French players have already resigned themselves to a beating on Saturday against the All Blacks and that, although Saint-André was a great player, he lacks leadership for the role of head coach.
The other major claim in the article was that the players were upset with the role that Serge Blanco, the Vice-President of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), has within the squad. Their supposed belief is that he has too much influence and that his presence has not only unsettled the squad but undermined Saint-André's authority.
Many in the French media also cite the selection of Morgan Parra at scrum-half as strong proof that the players have indeed staged a coup d'état.
However, after Dusatoir quickly dismissed all these rumours he defiantly declared that:
It’s a team ready to play New Zealand.
With all these rumours and subsequent dismissal of them you would have to wonder whether France are indeed in chaos or are they luring New Zealand into a false sense of security as they seek to shock the rugby world on Saturday?
It's probably the the first of those.
