France claimed their second successive Six Nations title on Saturday night, but Fabien Galthie cut a more relieved than celebratory figure after his side escaped with a 48-46 win over England in Saint-Denis.
The victory, sealed by a Thomas Ramos penalty in the 82nd minute, secured the championship but did little to silence mounting concerns over France’s defensive frailties.
Asked whether the closing stages had induced nervousness, Galthie questioned the premise. “Fear, is that the right word?
“From start to finish it was difficult, tough, complex. Do we have time to be afraid? I’m not sure. It was difficult the whole match and we won in the end.”
France conceded 14 tries in their last two fixtures, shipping seven in Edinburgh and another seven against England. It is the most porous they have looked under Galthie, and the defensive slide became a talking point despite the retention of the title.
Defence 
89%
Tackle Completion %
84%
Injuries, suspensions and enforced changes have disrupted France throughout the tournament, a theme the head coach highlighted.
“Winning two titles in a row is something, with a team that has moved, that has evolved. It has changed over the course of the competition.”
France opened the championship strongly, but the back end has turned into a scramble for results. Galthie pointed to the narrow margins that kept their campaign on track. “We started the competition very, very well, then we had to fight every time to score a defensive bonus point [in Scotland], or to score that penalty tonight.
“The scenarios change with every match. The tournament has enormous sporting value and enormous value in terms of competitiveness. I would simply call this match a final victory. I’m not going to hide my pleasure.”
He also defended his side’s resilience in the face of adversity across the final two rounds.
“These last two matches haven’t been easy for us, but perhaps after the first three matches we thought it would be easier. Bringing back the defensive bonus point from Murrayfield, and that choice of the penalty kick to touch just before half-time today [for the penalty try], that was impressive. And then, with 14 men at the end, to go and get that penalty to win! That’s impressive.”
Nevertheless, Galthie acknowledged that the manner of their performances left significant work to do. “There will be many things to review on a tactical and technical level. The results of the last two matches are not up to what we hoped for, that’s true, but we have just won a major competition.”
France now have one more Six Nations between them and the 2027 Rugby World Cup, and Galthie made clear that improvements are needed.
“There are definitely areas for improvement, that’s for sure, but we still have one more tournament [before the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia] to be even better. But this competition is so special. Every match is a tactical and strategic battle. In the last three tournaments, we’ve won two. And I want to give credit to England, who had nothing to gain except beating France in Paris.”