Marcoussis (France) (AFP) – New member of the staff, responsible for the defense of the XV of France, Geoffrey Doumayrou has begun to impose on the Blues system a signature that corresponds to his personality.

Published on: 10/11/2026 - 12:50

With only six penalties conceded against Fiji for his first match with the Blues on Saturday, and 17 points conceded in total, the defensive performance of the XV of France was up to par, even more so considering that only three points had been conceded in the 65th minute of play.

“It was really a good performance because we defended a lot. We didn't just attack, the Fijians attacked a lot,” said coach Fabien Galthié after the match.

“A lot of new things, new things. It’s stimulating for us. I think everyone is buying in, everyone is trying to make an effort,” confirmed his captain Antoine Dupont next to him.

Still in practice in Montpellier

The arrival of the young coach, 37 years old and only two full seasons in this position, was made official in September. But Doumayrou remains attached to his club Montpellier, best defense in the Top 14 last season and again over the first nine days this year.

“+Doum+ arrived as naturally as possible, he’s a passionate, competent, ready boy. It’s a great pleasure to have him, really,” said the coach in charge of the attack Patrice Arlettaz at the start of the blue rally.

Compared to his predecessor over the first six years of the Galthié mandate, the Englishman Shaun Edwards, Geoffrey Doumayrou has changed the defense of the Blues a little: where the former 13 player asked the wingers to go up hard to cut the outside and form a funnel, his successor prefers a compact line but where all the players go up simultaneously.

“He added his touch by adding small, fairly important details, that we frame our defensive frames a little more, that we mount better, that we are more connected together so that we can defend better collectively,” second row Mickaël Guillard also described.

In his only speech since his appointment, to the daily l'Equipe, in October, Doumayrou assured "not wanting to revolutionize everything" in the Blues system, aiming instead to "improve certain things". “Attack is talent. Defense is not. You have to agree to do the dirty work,” insisted the new assistant to Fabien Galthié, under whose orders he had played in Montpellier.

“Physically very hard”

"It's a specific style, it's physically very hard, (...) it's very energy-consuming for the forwards, but especially for the three quarters. Some players have cramps in the 50th, the 60th", describes Montpellier manager Joan Caudullo, with whom Geoffrey Doumayrou practices on a daily basis. "As he often says, he doesn't defend. He attacks the attack. The goal is to attack the attack from the outside in."

This aggressive style is also reflected in his training method: cap backwards, the former international center (13 caps) does not hesitate to speak up and directly challenge the players following an action.

“He is a person who has a lot of rigor and demands but who is also open to listening and discussing with the players,” assures Mickaël Guillard. “He has his speech, he has his character, he has his way of seeing. (...) The whole form has changed, it’s a new character, I really like the character.”

It now remains to test this full-scale method against South Africa, a steamroller which scored 66 points against Italy and 40 on average in its 11 matches this season.

"The team's strategy is global and not just defensive. But yes, I have an idea in mind of how to defend them. Beating the Springboks is a challenge that I want to take on. It will happen quickly. I hope to find solutions to put them in difficulty", assured Doumayrou at the beginning of October.

© 2026 AFP

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