The win did not make him forget everything. The day after France’s comfortable victory in Australia (42-26), Fabien Galthié pointed to the organisational inconsistencies of this very young Nations Championship. A reservation he was not prepared to keep to himself.
“Why is Ireland playing Japan here?”
The France head coach did not mince his words. After his players’ win over Australia, Fabien Galthié criticised what he sees as too many “arrangements” in the rugby world, using this competition as his example. “The only reservation about this competition is why Ireland are playing Japan here,” he said, in comments reported by franceinfo.
In plain terms: Ireland were allowed to face Japan in Australia, on neutral ground, while France have to travel all the way to Tokyo to play those same Japanese on 18 July, at the end of a journey of several thousand kilometres.
A calendar of variable geometry
That is not the only imbalance the France staff have flagged. Galthié also regretted that Fiji are forced to play their “home” matches in Europe, far from their islands and their supporters. All of which raises questions about the sporting fairness of a competition meant to pit the best nations of both hemispheres against each other in comparable conditions.
These imbalances of venue and travel pose a real question a year out from the 2027 World Cup: in a competition where every point counts towards the table, not every participant appears to be treated alike.
A competition still bedding in
Created this season, the Nations Championship is played in two parts: a first set of fixtures this summer in the southern hemisphere, then a return set in the autumn, before finals scheduled for Twickenham. France, provisionally top of their northern hemisphere group on seven points, will host Fiji, South Africa and Argentina in November.
The Nations Championship table
| # | Team | Pts | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 116 | 75 | ▲41 |
| 2 | Ecosse | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 108 | 97 | ▲11 |
| 3 | Angleterre | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 125 | 77 | ▲48 |
| 4 | Irlande | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 90 | 91 | ▼1 |
| 5 | Pays de Galles | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 102 | ▼42 |
| 6 | Italie | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 131 | ▼94 |
| # | Team | Pts | P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afrique du Sud | 15 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 130 | 49 | ▲81 |
| 2 | Nouvelle-Zelande | 15 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 121 | 70 | ▲51 |
| 3 | Australie | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 114 | 85 | ▲29 |
| 4 | Argentine | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 97 | 99 | ▼2 |
| 5 | Japon | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 62 | 88 | ▼26 |
| 6 | Fidji | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 49 | 145 | ▼96 |
But before that there is the trip to Tokyo next Saturday, to close out the summer tour. One last fixture that France will approach with, in the back of their minds, the sense of unfairness their head coach was determined to make public.
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