It's so bizarre it could actually be true.
The French players have reportedly held a mutiny against coach Phillipe Saint-Andre and kicked him out just a couple of days before taking on the All Blacks in a World Cup quarterfinal.
The idea of Saint-Andre being on the chopping block isn't crazy. The French came last in this year's Six Nations and have never made the top three since he took over after the 2011 World Cup. The idea it's happening now is crazy. It could only be this notoriously bipolar rugby team doing it.
The reports from French media (read thanks to Google translate) suggest the players like Saint-Andre but don't believe in his leadership style. The French are the masters of the revolution but why it took the players four years of losing to want to take back control is beyond me.
When I say take back control it's exactly what I mean. I attended a press conference at the 2011 World Cup in Napier, before France played Canada. The coach of the time, Marc Lievremont, was under pressure and there was talk that he had lost the dressing room. I didn't understand most of the press conference, as my fourth form French left me lost after salut.
However, it quickly became apparent that it wasn't a conversation between Lievremont and one of the journalists, it was a heated argument. They had lost two games in pool play and the Gallic passions were boiling over.
Then the most amazing thing happened. Les Tricolores pulled themselves together, almost to spite their coach, and came within a penalty goal of winning the tournament.
The players did it for each other and many of those guys are still in the team. Thierry Dusautoir and Morgan Parra ran the show for France in the 2011 final, while Frederic Michalak was in Cardiff for their 2007 quarterfinal win.
They have the experience to run a team on the field. That could work for at least the first week in the knockout format, even if it would appear hard to maintain for three straight weeks.
Steve Hansen will talk about it not affecting their preparations but this is sure to have his side even more wary of their bogey team. Could this galvanise the French? Could this be just what they need to turn around their bumbling performance against Ireland last week.
On the other hand, could this just be a sign of a team falling apart? Will the All Blacks cruise into the semis because of it?
You need more than an internet translator to understand what goes on in the French rugby team. I get the feeling this is another reason to think the World Cup will say au revoir to Les Bleus on Sunday morning.
3 News