France kicking coach Vlok Cilliers believes the Six Nations champions have become a more dangerous and successful team by being patient with their gameplay.
The former Western Province flyhalf is one of two non-French coaches in Fabien Galthie’s staff, the other being Welshman Shaun Edwards, who is in charge of the team’s defence.
Ex-Stormers and Bulls kicking guru Cilliers, who played his one and only Test for the Springboks against the All Blacks in 1996, has been credited with implementing a strong kicking game for Les Bleus.
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“A big thing about previous French teams, which I think the whole world knows, was that there was not enough patience,” he told The Independent, after the defending champs kicked off their title defense with a narrow win over Italy last week.
“They would play good rugby, but they would run when they were supposed to kick and kick when they were supposed to run. It was just important for us to find a balance.
“With that had to come more patience. That’s the one thing we’ve worked hard on.
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“It’s about how we put other teams under pressure, how we can release pressure on ourselves, how we can play in the right areas of the field and how we can get success without playing too much rugby inside our own half.”
France will this week lock horns with Ireland, the world’s top-ranked team, in what some are already billing as the Six Nations title decider in Dublin on Saturday.
Photo: @Vlokskop10/Twitter
