The UBB opener, who left Marcoussis on Wednesday refusing his reservist status, was not recalled by Fabien Galthié to prepare for the last test of the November tour against the Pumas.
The press release was impatiently awaited. After his scandal, would Matthieu Jalibert (26 years old, 34 caps) be recalled for the last test of the November tour, this Friday evening against Argentina at the Stade de France? To be honest, we had an idea of the answer. Asked about this hasty departure after the heroic victory against the All Blacks, Fabien Galthié did not respond directly, but the message was clear. “We try to be very fair in our team compositions. We work on it a lot, a lot. Always with the desire to build the best possible team, the best to win, and nothing else…” The best possible team to win was without Jalibert against New Zealand. And this will be the case again against the Pumas.
Since the list of 42 is now revealed by a simple press release, without the slightest comment from the coach, we can wonder if it was he who did not select it or if it was Jalibert who did not wish to be recalled . The day after the discussion between the two men during which the UBB opener informed him that he preferred to return to Bordeaux rather than being one of the five reserves for the clash against the All Blacks, Fabien Galthié had in fact assured: “he will continue in the French team… if he wishes”.
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Did he not want it? Has he made a definitive break, tired of not being the first choice, nor the second in the absence of Romain Ntamack, nor the third, the Toulouse fullback Thomas Ramos being preferred to him, but only the fourth behind …Antoine Dupont? Or, more prosaically, Fabien Galthié (legitimately) sanctioned him for his refusal to be a reservist, a decision difficult to accept in a sport where the collective takes precedence? According to Olympic Middayit was the coach who announced to the player this Sunday morning that he was not called up. One of the two will end up answering these questions in a clear-cut manner, and we would not be more surprised if, in the coming days, Matthieu Jalibert announced more formally that he was renouncing, more or less definitively, the XV from France…
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While the Blues prepare for the last meeting of the fall in Marcoussis, Matthieu Jalibert will concentrate on the UBB's trip to Vannes, next weekend marking the return of the doubles with the Top 14. unless his club grants him a week's vacation so that he can cut himself off from the agitation and debates born after his decision to slam the door of Marcoussis last Wednesday.
France
