There will soon not be much left of the staff of the XV of France. After the premature elimination of the Blues during their World Cup at home against the Springboks, and while coach Fabien Galthié will continue the adventure, his team is in the process of being profoundly overhauled.
After the departures of Karim Ghezal and Laurent Labit from Stade Français, it is the turn of Rafael Ibanez to take a step back. If Galthié’s right arm must remain within the fold of the France team, he will, according to information from Olympic Middayoccupy a “more transversal role” within the French Rugby Federation, while his contract as general manager ran until 2028.
Next meeting next February
According to Eurosport, relations between Galthié and his faithful sidekick, who used to regularly accompany him during press conferences, were strained during the World Cup, which would explain this last minute change of heart. The next installments of this new-look French XV, without its star Antoine Dupont, who will join the French rugby sevens team in preparation for the Olympic Games, will not begin until the beginning of next year, with the reception of Ireland on February 2 as part of the VI Nations tournament.