When Irish rugby was at its lowest point, around two decades ago, it was routinely claimed that their situation could be critical but it was never very serious. Would that France could carry their travails so lightly. That 44-8 thrashing by England at Twickenham the weekend before last proved beyond doubt that French rugby is mired in crisis but nobody finds the situation remotely funny.
France have won one of their past nine games. They have dropped to tenth in the world rankings. They have lost their first two games of this year’s Six Nations, a tournament they have not won since 2010. Jacques Brunel, the head coach, is widely viewed as a political placement and his methods have provoked open revolt among his players.