Fabien Galthié, coach of the French XV, clearly explained the absence of Matthieu Jalibert in the group for the clash against New Zealand on Saturday (9:10 p.m.) at the Stade de France. He even left doubt about the international future of Bordeaux.
As expected in recent days, Matthieu Jalibert (26 years old, 34 caps) does not appear on the match sheet of the French XV for the clash against New Zealand, Saturday (9:10 p.m.) at the Stade de France. A snub for the opener of the Union Bordeaux-Bègles in the absence of a real specialist with the injury of the natural starter, Romain Ntamack. Fabien Galthié prefers versatile full-back Thomas Ramos as 10 alongside his club partner, Antoine Dupont.
“What is important is determination”
The Bordelais also suffered from the staff's choice to line up only two full-backs on the bench (Nolann Le Garrec, Emilien Gailleton), relying on Dupont's ability to help out at the opening. But not only that. Fabien Galthié was very blunt when justifying his choice to send the player back to his club, by pointing out a problem of state of mind, which he explained with the principal concerned.
“Of course we take the time to discuss with all the players,” explains the coach. “There is a mental preparation part and then choices on the rugby part. There are only fifteen starting places, eight finishing places, that makes 23 players (on the match sheet). We work with a group of 42 players. Emulation is very important in this team and the project is collective. To build a team, what is important is the determination of the moment, the individual strength which goes to the collective. a very important choice regarding the players who. are not lucky enough to be in this group…”
“This is an important moment for 2027”
The short sentence refers to the next World Cup and implies that Jalibert, like the others, is experiencing a turning point. Far from the first choices. “These four weeks allow us to bring on board all the players capable of going the distance, to develop physically, rugby-wise but also with skills around mental endurance and the individual strength of character that one must have to play with the French team and go through happy and difficult times”, continues Galthié. “This is the message we share with each of the players.”
But this would have been difficult to receive by the player. According to information from RMC Sport, the one who started the last World Cup would have difficulty experiencing this downgrading as 4th choice in the hierarchy and would not see himself making the return trips to Marcoussis in the role of a sparring partner. If Fabien Galthié took care to leave the door open for him, he still cast serious doubt on the international future of his player.
“Everyone is free to experience their emotions and share them,” added Galthié. “We need determination, strong players. Even if his journey was not linear, he brought his talent to the France team, always tried to give the best of himself. And he will continue. .. if he wishes, of course, everyone has the choice to make their decisions. Today during this November tour, we need to identify the determined players who have the ability to get through the good times and the tough times. difficult times. I could talk about my career but that's not the subject.”
Nicolas Couet with Wilfried Templier
