Fabien Galthié and the All Blacks, it's a great love story. There were a few bad lucks, obviously, like this 54-7 conceded in Wellington a few months before the 1999 World Cup, but the former scrum half and current coach of the XV of France was in (almost) all the big ones. battles won against the Harlem Globetrotters of Rugby: the legendary semi-final of 1999 and the Marseille jump a year later as a player, then the last two, memorable, of November 2021 and the opening match of the Coupe du world 2023 in the role of conductor.
The Lot strategist surely hopes not to have lost his mojo on the way to the reunion, Saturday at the Stade de France, for the second meeting of this autumn tour. Because it’s a match that’s worth a lot, probably more than it seems on paper. It would be a question of launching the Galthié 2 era for good, after a Six Nations Tournament contested with half of the brain still disillusioned with the World Cup and saved by Ramos' penalty at the last second of the last match against the English , then a summer tour where the athlete took second place.
“We need to see things a little more clearly”
The resumption last weekend against Japan marked some developments, with the desire to keep the ball alive everywhere and at a high pace, quite a few permutations in defensive phases, and yesterday's captains left on the bench or sent home (Gaël Fickou, Julien Marchand, Charles Ollivon, Jonathan Danty). But the slight adversity represented by the Japanese and the announced return of a few veterans – Fickou and Atonio, before the latter had to withdraw – blur the message.
“It shows that Fabien Galthié relies on the present as much as the future. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because to succeed in transitions, you also have to take advantage of the experience of certain players, believes former coach Pierre Berbizier. But we need to see things a little more clearly, whether in terms of the players or the style of play. We are still waiting for that trigger which will allow us to really move on to something else. [après la Coupe du monde]. For the moment, he has not come. This team needs a reference match to justify its new conception, its new vision. »
Galthié's distant predecessor (1991-1995) currently observes a gap between the speech and what is happening on the ground. The desire to play more, to no longer be “only” in occupying the field, comes up against the reality of the facts. Even with eight tries scored against Japan, the Blues only held the ball 46% of the time, and spent barely more than half of the 80 minutes of the match in the opposing 50 meters.
Outstanding Questions
“Sometimes we can get a little lost,” continues Berbizier. Today, it is difficult to identify the real game of the France team. The fact that we don't see it is not important. But at a given moment, the trouble can also be found within the team. What do we do? Should we attack, should we attack less? We've been wondering for some time. »
The questions that emerged after the defeats against South Africa in the World Cup or Ireland at the opening of the last Tournament are still unanswered. Then there is also the need to adapt to the new rules of World Rugby, which turns its jacket every four mornings on these stories of encouraging or not “possession”, “dispossession” or “repossession”, these major themes of the game dear to rugby theorists.
“We are now really starting the journey towards Australia”
Adjustments are clearly underway, and we need to “give a little time”, agrees the former coach of Racing and Bayonne. Fabien Galthié also considers that this tour “is the first gathering of our three-year vision”, towards the next World Cup. “We are now really starting the journey towards Australia, the coach this Thursday at a press conference. Everything we experience there will be very important for the future. »
So you shouldn't be mistaken. And the boss's choices, little contested in view of the results during his first mandate, are starting to be talked about in enthusiast circles. Galthié has in his hands the best player in the world and one of the most beautiful generations in the history of the Blues, reinforced by the one who comes just behind, last year's U20 world champion. And he has only won one title in five years, which is not a lot.
The sidelining of Matthieu Jalibert, author of a sparkling start to the season with the UBB, and especially the words which accompanied it, implying that the opener did not have the mental strength necessary to be in this group, ask. Consequence of this choice and the sliding of Thomas Ramos from the back to the 10 position, the sudden spotlight on Romain Buros, who will discover the blue jersey at the age of 27 in a match of this importance, is also a real bet against such a racy opponent.
Among the supporters of the XV of France, Galthié in any case retains a lot of credit. During training open to the public on Wednesday in Marcoussis, he was warmly applauded when the Blues appeared. “It has to come to fruition, it’s true, it has to win in the end. But we also have to remember where we come from, says Laurent, who came with his children. We had some very complicated years before him, he brought the team back to high standards. »
This forty-something, who lives right next to the CNR, remembers the dark years, under Saint-André, Novès or Brunel. Despite the dagger in the quarter-final against the South Africans, he “always enjoys seeing this team again”, and his coach “from NASA”, as he says with a smile, in reference to the data, drones and screens which are now the daily life of the Blues.
“He’s the boss, we follow him”
“He deserves not to be let go,” agrees Gérard, a young retiree and avid follower. He's a serious guy, he gets results, we like to complain but we have to know how to appreciate what we have. He's the boss, we follow him. There he brought in young people, that’s good. We must renew, while maintaining a structure that has proven itself. Let's trust him. »
In the privacy of the group, the leader has not started a major revolution for this second part of his mandate, according to Gaël Fickou. “He’s always trying to improve, to learn from technology. The equipment we use has evolved, but on rugby, the way it works, the human aspect, the discussions, that hasn't changed, replied the man who will honor his 92nd cap on Saturday. I think that's what made us strong during the first four years, we must keep it. Afterwards, we try to develop our game, to be ever more precise. He wants to push performance even further. »
OUR FILE XV OF FRANCE
The center of Racing, like the supporters we met, is “impatiently” awaiting this weekend’s clash, “because they are the Blacks and we always have to measure ourselves against the best”. After the convincing victory in November 2021 (40-25), Fabien Galthié admitted to having marked this match “as a truth meeting”. If he refutes the idea of giving the same importance to those who arrive, because “the common experience is much more important”, from our point of view we are not very far from it either.
