Fickou replacing, Ollivon off the scoresheet, Danty out of the group of 42… The Blues coach justified his choices and his expectations at length before the first test in November, Saturday evening against Japan.
You are doing without several executives – Fickou, Ollivon, Danty… – is this the start of a new era?
Fabien Galthié: I will rather speak of continuity and emulation. From a France group which is heading towards this match having the chance, thanks to the agreement with the League, to work again at 42. This first composition is the team which seems to us to be in the best shape at the moment. The notion of experience is important, but above all there is emulation, players who push, competition to enter the XV of France or the 23.
So you’re no longer talking about premium players?
Indeed, we can speak of a French group which is starting on an expanded basis. We have the chance to benefit from the excellent work of the clubs, from a very tough, very tough championship. The Jiff rule pushes the best young French people to emerge and develop. They arrive here with an already consistent level of maturity. So it creates emulation with the players with whom we traveled for five seasons. Players we count on, watch out! There is a rotation, a healthy emulation but clearly, having interacted with these players concerned by these five years spent together, even if they are finishers, even if they are not on the scoresheet, we are counting on them . We need them, their experiences to travel in our three-year vision. We want to keep our best players from the last five years. But, for this, they must be able to regenerate, to prepare, to continue to progress. And not stagnate or even decline, because they have such a load of match, of emotional preparation, that at a moment, they only manage a physical state, a psychological state. But we want them to prepare and continue to progress. We believe that, whatever their age, these players who have had a lot of experience with us can still capitalize on their potential. To return to the match sheet soon of course.
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XV of France: return of Dupont, Roumat rather than Ollivon, Moefana-Gailleton in the center… Galthié unveils his team to face Japan
But you said that the France team was not Koh-Lanta…
And I maintain it. The French team is not Koh-Lanta. But I also always said that we pushed all the players to come and get this jersey, with this three-year vision. But the players who have spent these five years with us are still able to play, to come tomorrow and take the jersey again. This is not a break but a natural evolution. With players who are pushing, who are revealing themselves in the Top 14, who have revealed themselves with us. There is no comfort zone in the French team. If we talk about Gaël (Fickou), if he played so many matches as a starter, it was not a gift but because he deserved it. And being in the 23 is not a downgrade. I’m talking to you about a France team which is heading on the path leading to the World Cup, not about an individual project. It’s a collective project, we are very clear on this point with the players. And the players are aligned with our decisions. Afterwards, as they are competitors, champions, I am sure that they will show us that they are still there. This is already the case in training. I can tell you that there is great quality in the commitment and in the quality of each person. They are in the race. We don’t talk about them in the imperfect tense. Not one of these players is on a path that would no longer lead to the France team.
We have a lot of respect for these players. We are counting on them. They know that we are counting on them. And they will come back.
Does this mean there could be changes to the 23 for the next test, against the All Blacks?
In principle, it is an environment in which everyone can play. You can’t close a door to someone. Everyone has to think they can play. Afterwards, we have to look at our history, our common experience, and see that there is still consistency in the sequence of matches. The match against the All Blacks will only be the second meeting of our season. They started their season in June. They are finishing their sixth month together, they will be playing their 13the or 14e match. We don’t have the same calendar. We must also manage the imperatives of collective experience, of common experience. And that matters a lot in our team composition…
How did Fickou or Ollivon experience your choices?
I discuss trends and current options very early with the players. I share with the desire that they understand and accept. But there is such trust, such respect between us that it always bothers me a little to see how a player is treated (by the media, editor’s note) when we leave the group… I have great admiration for Gaël and his 90 selections. The way he maintains his level of performance. I have great admiration for the way Charles Ollivon came back from his injuries. I can name others. We have a lot of respect for these players. We are counting on them. They know that we are counting on them. And they will come back.
The Dupont-Ramos hinge is, first of all, the talent, the level of play.
Why did you prefer to associate Antoine Dupont with Thomas Ramos rather than Matthieu Jalibert at the hinge?
Firstly, it is talent, the level of play. Then, one of the key factors of success is the collective experience. This is one of the essential criteria for winning. In adaptation and the search for performance, we first take the most efficient players of the moment. The level of this hinge is therefore naturally essential as a starter… Of course, Matthieu Jalibert matters to us. He has been with us for five years, he performs in clubs. We are counting on him.
But, conversely, Moefana and Gailleton are associated with the center for the first time…
The performance of the moment, the state of form of the moment. Yoram (Moefana) has lived with us and Émilien (Gailleton) has joined the group for some time. He already worked with us when he was captain of the U20s, he prepared for the World Cup with us. He does not discover the environment of the France team. Yoram has often been a utility back since 2021. He was placed back in 12 in his club and he is very efficient. It is interesting to see this new association. As the French team plays little, we have few opportunities to try to develop collective experience.
In the absence of Fickou, who will be the captain of the defense?
At the level we play at, we don’t have much time to talk on the pitch. Gaël is still our captain of defense, he builds our strategy with Shaun Edwards. But there are players capable of playing the role of regulator and decision-maker, notably Yoram and Émilien. He is the regulator of the Pau team. He has already displayed this skill with us.
Should we conclude from this team composition that you want a more attack-oriented game?
The desire to develop our game is permanent. We are in a universe where, if we freeze things, then we no longer move forward. We need to find some keys to develop our game in order to have the initiative on defenses. We are in an environment where everyone observes each other and builds strategies to stifle the opposing strong points. There is always a plan. You must therefore be able to adapt.
This is an important moment for us. It’s our first meeting of the season, we find the Stade de France, our audience.
Have you set an obligation for results on this November tour (Japan, New Zealand, Argentina)?
We are No. 4 in the world, with 79% victories since 2020, with a series of three opponents in France. Performance is the goal: seeking to beat our opponents. There is this necessity, this very clear desire among us, which we display but with a lot of humility.
What do you think of this Japanese team which wins little?
It’s true that it’s a team that hasn’t won a lot. But, when we dissect his matches, the first thing that we notice is the speed of his game. It is the team which imposes the highest meters per minute, they are above 120 meters per minute. Then, they have very strategically structured rugby. They love to carry the ball and play in front of the defense. With big ball carriers. It is therefore a team capable of performing. But this is an important moment for us. It’s our first meeting of the season, we find the Stade de France, our audience. In our desire to share and bring together, it is a very pleasant and very powerful moment. We are preparing for it with a lot of passion.
Comments collected at a press conference
