What will cause the French team to lose the World Cup? There are a few things standing in their way…
They really have one of the best squads in the world and they have been dominating world rugby for the past two years.
They are dominant in their phase play and exciting and unpredictable on the attack.
Their biggest issue is that they haven’t been tested.
Winning a test is one thing. Winning the 6 Nations is more impressive but their only real competition there has been Ireland.
The World Cup is different. You are up against squads that have been planning and practicing for a couple of months to present their nations at the global showpiece.
In their group, their only real competition will be the All Blacks and Italy will be a longshot.
They will have a tough game against the All Blacks and regardless of whether they finish 1st or 2nd, things won’t get easier when they get to the quarter-finals.
In the quarter-finals, they will likely face either South Africa or Ireland. If they get past one of those two, they will likely face Argentina, Australia, or England in the semi-finals. The final would likely be another game against one of the other top 3 teams in the world, depending on how the results go. So they will face either South Africa, Ireland, or the All Blacks at the final hurdle.
So if they get out of their group, they have several mountains to climb.
They have also only made it to the final once but lost to the All Blacks.
With no experience of what it takes to win a World Cup and a ridiculously difficult path to the final, there are a couple of valid reasons why they won’t win the World Cup.