France enforce countrywide measures to counter the Bok maul
France had a 2021 to remember, capping off the year with a record win over the All Blacks at the Stade de France. But one thing they did not do this year was face the reigning world champions and number one ranked team in the world South Africa.
Fabien Galthie would have looked at the Springboks this year with trepidation, particularly how they savaged most teams they faced in two areas of the game, the scrum and the maul. The South African eight were nothing short of a tank at times this year, and the maul was often the origin of any momentum they gathered. Even in their recent loss to England, they showed they were far superior in the scrum and the maul, and were rewarded with plenty of penalties as a result, particularly in the second half.
With that in mind, it looks as though France have enforced a countrywide measure to ensure their maul defence is up to scratch for their next meeting with the Springboks. As Les Bleus continue to prepare for a home World Cup in 2023, they are clearly leaving no stone unturned. The first stage in their new plan was rolled out recently in an academy game between Nimes and Toulon, where players no longer maul against each other, but a van that is stuck in the mud.
The Top 14 shared a video of the team mauling the van back onto the pavement, in what is the best recreation of the Bok pack that France can come up with at the moment.
Take a look:
#TOP14
Ces gars-là méritent le TOP 14 : un maul organisé, qui avance et qui finit dans l’en-but 💪🚒
Bravo aux Cadets Alamercery de Nîmes et de Toulon qui ont dégagé ce camion de pompier embourbé ce week-end 😉 pic.twitter.com/2J710W7x2o— TOP 14 Rugby (@top14rugby) November 29, 2021
