The French XV will face the All Blacks this Saturday without Matthieu Jalibert. Fabien Galthié has decided: the Bordeaux player is not selected among the 23, and it is Thomas Ramos who will start at the opening. A decision with serious consequences for Jalibert, who returned to Bordeaux with a bitter taste. If his offensive talent is indisputable, the coach's confidence seems to be in free fall.
XV of France. Matthieu Jalibert, or the downgrading of the best opener of the season
“It’s a sign of lack of trust”
On the set of Super Moscato Showthe former international Denis Charvet did not mince his words :
“Fabien Galthié simply doesn’t have confidence in himself. It’s a mark of lack of confidence and it risks continuing unfortunately for him.” Charvet also points out the ambiguity of Ramos' role : “On the one hand, you have a player who wants to play fullback, but who is put at fly-half, and the one who has to replace Ntamack goes home.”
“He eats his black bread”
Vincent Moscato, for his part, believes that the decision is not unfair:
“He has lost credit because of his defense in particular. He has to be patient, he has to train, he has to progress. But there, he is eating his black bread. He will have difficulty moving on, because we feel that we don't trust him.“
An essential confidence, especially in a position as strategic as that of opener.
XV of France. Jalibert ''talented offensively'' but relegated to the background, ''I think it's hard''
“Three Toulouse residents in front of him”
Philippe Saint-André goes further by analyzing the hierarchy in place:
“Galthié prefers three Toulouse players to the opener position : Ntamack, Ramos, and Dupont. If Ramos gets injured, it's Dupont who takes the opening. Jalibert now knows he is relegated to fourth place.”
The former Blues coach also talks about the psychological impact on the Bordeaux player:
“He took an incredible morale hit, especially since Ramos announced in the media that he prefers to play at full-back.”
What next for Jalibert?
For five years, Galthié has used Jalibert as a finisher, but this sidelining for the key match of 2024 against the All Blacks could leave its mark. Psychologically, the UBB opener will have to get up to hope to regain his place in the Blues rotation.
