"This is a consequence of 15 years of no vision" - Philippe Saint-Andre on France's national woes

The Rugby Pod spoke to former France coach and rugby legend Philippe Saint-André this week as they looked to gain a local perspective on the problems troubling the national team. The 51-year-old had some brilliant insight into what he thought was the root issue for the team which is currently languishing at fifth in the Six Nations table after two rounds.

Speaking on the podcast he said,

“This is a consequence of fifteen years of no visions, our young players didn’t have game time, we have players playing out of position in different areas.”

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In addition to this, Saint André highlighted the Top 14 as an area of concern where foreign players were dominating teams, stifling opportunities for young players to get game time at the highest level. The speed of the domestic league was also an area of concern as they play what the former French player described as a ‘slow game’.

This is in stark contrast to the free-flowing brand of rugby the he used to play for France back in 1991.

France may have lost the 1991 edition of #LeCrunch, but they won the hearts of fans the world over with magical play like this. #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/1Hu69hihxK

— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 10, 2019

It’s interesting to get this perspective from someone who is so respected in the French and global game. Saint-André was head coach of France from 2012 to 2015, and even then he commented on the issues that arose in relation to the Top 14 teams.