Fabien Galthié hopes ballet excursion helps side put Scotland loss behind them for Saturday’s Six Nations finale
A night at the opera may not be to every Frenchman’s taste these days, but for Fabien Galthié the outing will have been an integral part of his team’s Six Nations finale preparations.
Two evenings out from their clash against England, Les Bleus were set to leave their training camp to watch rehearsals for a performance of the ballet Romeo and Juliet at the Opéra Garnier in central Paris. “It’s important for us to take a step back,” the head coach explained. “We’re going to be meeting the lead dancers, watching them at work, speaking to them, and experiencing that legendary venue.”
Galthié also highlighted the need for a change of scenery after seven weeks holed up in the sleepy village of Marcoussis. While he often brings in speakers from other disciplines to the training camp (for example, the former Paris Opera Ballet étoile Marie-Agnès Gillot gave a presentation to the squad in 2024), it’s rare for the head coach to take his players on a trip in to town.
The former scrum-half evidently saw a need to shake things up. Until last weekend, France were relatively undisturbed as they appeared to be marching towards an undefeated campaign. After shipping 50 points in Edinburgh and letting the grand slam slip away again, the team suddenly came under renewed criticism.
