it's the size of the fight in the dog."

The Rafale is an attractive plane with good performance. Still, it comes down to the "fight in the dog" (the pilot) in the end. If the pilot doesn’t have the fire in his belly, then the plane is irrelevant.

As an aside, since the Rafale lacks stealth characteristics, it won't be long before it's functionally obsolescent in the modern battlespace. There's also questions about the number produced and their sustainability as to whether they'll be a significant factor. In 1940, France had some good airplanes and pilots, but far too few of either to be effective.