Brendan Gallagher looks at the history of great lock pairings during France’s golden eras of rugby

Threat: Bernard le Roux of France is tackled by Gareth Davies
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It’s been a while since France boasted a second row pairing to reckon with and for all the fine talk about French genius and flair – and its absence in recent years – that’s probably why they haven’t won a Grand Slam since 2010. Not enough grunt, no obvious enforcer, fallible lineout.
But now, finally, they seem to have unearthed such a combo even if the raw material has ...