“He asked me to carry on no matter what”, Galthié will stay put even if Laporte steps down
Visiting this Tuesday at Belvès, in the Dordogne, to liven up amateur team training, France XV coach Fabien Galthié then posed at length in front of the press to discuss the hexagonal rugby news of the year. World Cup: legal problems of its president Bernard Laporte, the image of rugby, the absence of Pierre Mignoni, the players following and the point on the many injuries to international players that worry him. Rather talkative, he himself insists on answering all questions.
Defended the title in the VI Nations tournament
Fabien Galthié: “That’s what we wanted. We set goals. Quickly win matches, titles and once again become a great nation in the world of rugby. This tournament, we will provide a challenge to repeat, which we did last year. The first tournament , we drew the first, the second the second, and there we won.”
Current international physical breakdown
“It is clear that we are closely monitoring the physical condition because an injured player will not be able to keep his chances. Jonathan Danty, we doubted the crusader before. In the middle position, Arthur Vincent is injured, Vakatawa has stopped… that’s a weak position. Gabin Villière, maybe fair, but we are following him. François Cros is in the recovery phase, Jean-Baptiste Gros too. He will not be ready to start the Tournament. There have been doubts about Bourgarit. We are talking about posterior crosses. Uini Atonio is injured, but we have good news. He is should be available for Capbreton. Damian Penaud, it’s a class 1 tear, 10 days out. And Matthieu Jalibert, it’s hamstrings, two weeks. That’s not going to prevent them from being picked. We learned today about Peato Mauvaka’s finger injury. We talked about Peato Mauvaka’s finger injury broken bones and three weeks out of action All of that is a lot but it’s a lot from our team and from this game If we look at the turnover Willemse is ah ret us, Bamba too, he’s playing again. We have to deal with resources and players who rarely play but we follow closely. We have identified a group of more than fifty players. Three or four per station. The list of 42 will be announced next Tuesday. And yes, we have to consider all of that.”
High playing time of some players
“We tried, we discussed a lot with the managers, the players. The players have contracts with their clubs. We have been working on it for three years. We operate more with subjective and non-rational rules like the number of games. We did it for three years, we have discussed with the managers. There are problems for the club as well. Overall there is effort to be made. But this period is twelve games without rest. The players play non-stop. We will do like for three years. Instead of looking at the negative, it allows us to be agile. After the selection committee, we called up players. We follow Julien Delbouis, Léo Barré, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Romain Buros, Ethan Dumorthier. Up front there are no new signings, but competition in the second line. Emmanuel Meafou is not to choose from but it won’t take long. And we follow it closely.
Competition for team executives?
“I don’t think Cameron (Woki) has totem immunity. We’re trying to build the best possible team. So we’re not asking them to cross the pitch every weekend. We need to know their title commitment and need to have clear answers. Are you ready? Then method our training very quickly yielded answers. You talk about Cameron but there are other players, who have acquired this level of skill to stay connected. And rugby is not just individual stories. The connections, the atmosphere around the team, is what matters. You don’t have to cross the pitch every time Sunday. We have the nine performance indicators I’ve mentioned. Horizontal boost, vertical boost, Vmax… They know it and every week they have to validate it. If they don’t, they’re in danger. If they don’t, they can get hurt.”
Back post
“Thomas Ramos was very good with us in November. There was pressure on him. He is responding now. He is suspended for a reprehensible act for which he paid a heavy price. A great player has to control himself. And Melvyn (Jaminet) is coming back. And Buros is versatile. He is came twice. He had to perform with us in practice. This weekend he is in Durban with UBB. It’s been a long journey.”
The Blues game, defend, hide or innovate?
“In the last two competitions you need a little bit of all that. We are working on the evolution of the offensive animations which we have adapted in November. We have closed the game for some reason. We will modify it. Work on defense. Which works a lot without the ball. There is a connection psychological with the opponent, off the ball and we have to improve. Referee possession, emotional possession as well. We have a very favorable balance of power in the team. And when we do dominate them we have less control and non-rugby puts the opponent back in the game The arbitration decision has returned the opponent to the match.”
Wales and England have changed coaches
“I was surprised. They are a pretty conservative country, the Welsh defended (Warren) Gatland for three terms. They had two defeats that cost a heavy price, with Georgia and Italy. But if they change, they know why “Eddie Jones dominates world rugby, four defeats in four years at once. There is an explanation. But it can be a game changer. (Steve) Borthwick wants to get back to basics, which means fighting for England.”
The return of the Jalibert-Ntamack association?
“Everything is possible. We are considering everything. It is also possible to pair Gael (Fickou) with Yoram (Moefana). And also Delbouis who will come back strong. We have Gailleton, Delibes, Barrassi, there are options.”
Bernard Laporte’s conviction and withdrawal
“Indeed, we are closely monitoring what happens. Even if we do our best, on the pitch with the players. The rest is not ours. In December during the storm, Bernard Laporte asked me, come what may, to continue to chart a course we’re going into 2023 and preparing post-mandate. We’re fully committed to this mission. We need to maintain this mission, to build as we’ve done for three years, to maintain this continuity, that’s how we spend it wound. The coming season will help us move forward. This group can still progress, still improve. We need continuity, visibility. This is the case for now. Everything is planned around 2023. Objective VI Nations tournament, with the preparation that we will experience in Capbreton. And then, preparations for the World Cup. Which, by the way, will be the shortest ever.”
Broken rugby image
“We did what we could. And I believe that for three years, the French XV has worked for the image of the French team. When you enter the hot Stade de France, the crowd has increased to ten million spectators, that the number of licensees has increased by more than 10%, to say that it’s positive, I think it’s even an understatement. For three years, French rugby shone in the world. Image-wise, it shines.”
No Pierre Mignoni on staff after 2023
“How did I react? We followed what was said! Pierre Mignoni has collaborated with us a lot for three years. He has accompanied a lot of selected players. Lots of discussions about methodology. I would like to pay tribute to Pierre Mignoni . Thanks to him As part of the staff the future, Pierre is potentially someone who could join us. But I can’t even consider anything. There was a mini-tornado which meant he would have to communicate vis-à-vis the Toulon supporters, to say he is dedicated to his club. That’s very dear.”
The contract is for suite and staff
“Yes, I signed a contract for 2027. For the rest, we have time to build the staff. We can talk about Laurent Sempéré. He signed up with the French team. We also worked a lot with him. And more. He is free. He is performing at a very high level “We are looking for very strong skills at touch level. I also want to salute the work of Karim Ghezal, Laurent Labit and Thibault Giroud, who will be leaving the staff. Say hello to them, thank them and congratulate the club because this is skills that will be passed on to the club. It is sharing that gives strength and power to our rugby.”
