XV of France – How Fabien Galthié also emerged victorious in the summer, despite business

Fabien Galthié, big winner of the summer? We could not say it better and despite the affairs, since as he had expressed the will in these columns after the tour in Argentina, the coach of the XV of France won his case, by returning to gatherings of 42 players . Which seemed anything but won, after having been pushed to reduce its requirements to 34, during the last Tournament, due to the post-Club World Cup discontent… “We are going to work on this, he swore to us near Buenos Aires, in July. We simply agree on the fact that it is much easier and more efficient to work with 42 people, for everyone. But be careful, 42 players when we’re in France, it’s only until Wednesday. We don’t block them all week. There are just three days of work, then we go to 28 and fourteen of them go back to the clubs.” An improbable turnaround, given the weak position in which the XV of France seemed to find itself after the controversies of the summer? Not necessarily, according to a prominent Top 14 manager. “Whether there are 34 or 42 players gathered on match weeks, in the end, that is not the heart of the problem. It is more the question of the timing of their release… For us, better than the XV of France takes 42 players and releases the non-group players on Wednesday, selects 34 to only release the non-group players on Thursday. As long as the players are sent back to the club on Wednesday evening, they can be used during the week. -end. And for us, it can be fine.”

In November and during the Tournament: 14 players released on Wednesday evening

This is how, for the tests in November 2024 and 2025, as well as during the 2025 and 2026 Tournaments, the French XV will benefit from a group of 42 players to prepare 14 days before the first match (19 of which will be released on Wednesday) . During the competition period, it will be almost the same thing: the Blues will be assembled at 42 from Sunday evening to Wednesday evening, before this time keeping 28 players until the match. Something to satisfy everyone? It would seem, especially since the counterpart, vis-à-vis the new concessions made by the Top 14, is obviously on the subject of summer tours, in line with the operation of recent years, “with an approach focused on the management of the most requested players”. In plain language? If the Blues will be well assembled at 42, the group for the summer tours will be formed in two stages: 28 players selected after the Top 14 play-offs, before the reinforcement of 14 players from the clubs eliminated in the semi-finals (the finalists will therefore not be concerned). With a desire to go further, already assumed by Fabien Galthié last June. “We will go on tour in the summer of 2025 in New Zealand without our “premiums”, it is an accepted choice, as it has been for four years. Why change strategy? Because we are traveling to the All Blacks? We have to be consistent.”

Newbies among the Blacks

In plain language? Except in special cases such as “return from injury” of a Premium not qualified for the final after having missed November or the Tournament, the summer 2025 tour in the land of the Blacks will be played more than ever by rookies, which will not already failing to enrage the New Zealanders. Finally, note that, like the match played this summer against Uruguay, the principle of a weekday meeting under the “France Développement” label will be retained, although with some adjustments to be made. Like playing said match near the Blues base camp, so as not to split the group in two, and to allow the French XV to prepare for their second test properly.