The XV opener of France returns to England after a complicated and controversial period.
Faced with England for the second day of the 6 Nations Tournament this Saturday, February 8, the coach Fabien Galkié decided to restore his confidence to the opener of the Union Bordeaux Bègles, Matthieu Jalibert. Admittedly, the boss of the Blues does not really have a choice after Romain Ntamack’s red card against Wales last week and his suspension. But this return, acted after strong tensions, is a strong message sent to the small world of rugby.
Remember, during the fall tour, Thomas Ramos had been preferred to Matthieu Jalibert for the position of half opening. A successful choice, but which had left traces. The UBB opener had left the group before the second match against New Zealand, a meeting for which he had to have a reservist role. The vagueness that surrounded this departure had been able to intrigue, but Jalibert recently explained it in the columns of South West.
The Bordeaux, increasingly competed in the XV of France to the point of seeing its place called into question, suffered from a palpable illness after the World Cup. A feeling of discomfort that might not have to come to the ears of Fabien Galkié, as the player said. “I confided in the mental preparation cell and Patrick Arlettaz (coach of the rear of the XV of France), and it came back to the ears”said Jalibert in South West, adding that he had then had “A long discussion “ with the coach. “He told me that he didn’t feel very well, that I could go home. So I told him I preferred to go back. I needed to take a break, to cut mentally with all that.”
And Jalibert to regret today the way in which events have followed one another. “It’s funny because I expressed my discomfort in Marcoussis and it fell on me. The approach was natural on my part, I did it with a lot of sincerity”he believes. “We have a cell to talk about our frustrations, our discomfort … It is done for that. What I regret is that it returned to the ears of Fabien because I wanted to wait for the end of the tour for him Talking about it.
After months of break and a homecoming in top 14, the 15th century opener responded on the field, again chaining the good performances, which led Fabien Galkié to take it back for this 6 nations tournament 2025. “If we call me, I will go up with the greatest pleasure”explained the French. “We talk a lot about well-being and mental health, sometimes you have to know how to say stop when there is too full. It was the best option for everyone, it did me good. I was not Not well, I don’t want to add more, not want to get into controversy. what is important is that Fabien knows what I told him. “