Twenty-four days seemed a long time to some, but not to Fabien Galthié. The coach of the XV of France, who had not been heard from since his shock in the auditorium of the Stade de France after the cruel defeat in the quarter-final against South Africa on October 15, is reappeared this Wednesday to debrief this failure in more detail. He had also planned to do it only at the end of the month, but in front of the media, he decided to speed things up a little.
After training the PUC youngsters during the afternoon, the coach arranged to meet at the club house at the Charléty stadium, a bit too cramped for the occasion. Relaxed, in good humor after having “had fun” alongside the kids from the Parisian club, Galthié justified this silence by the need to leave room for the teams still in the competition and above all “a time of mourning to be respected” after having saw his big dream disappear for a small point.
“It was a huge disappointment for all of us,” he recalls. Four years of hard work, successful, whether we like it or not, with consistent progression… But our only goal was to be world champions. The disappointment would have been the same if we had lost by one point in the semi-final or the final. The only difference is that we wanted to live these two more weeks together. We wanted to experience these moments, for which we had been working for four years. This wound will turn into a scar, and we will have this one for life. »
Since that disastrous evening, the coach took the time to call his executives and members of his staff to find out how everyone was doing. He also watched the match a dozen times, past the final between South Africa and New Zealand. He came away with one conviction: he and his staff were “absolutely not” wrong in the tactical approach to the match. Some evidence according to him, supporting figures:
- The Blues entered the scoring zone 11 times with the ball. “It’s 50% more than our objective, we had planned 6. Of the seven final phase matches plus the two biggest group matches (France-New Zealand and South Africa-Ireland), we are the only one team to have had so many highlights. »
- A brand potential of 37 points according to the data. “We put 28, but at one point, on the last gesture, the last choice, it didn’t work out. »
- South Africa set up a ruck for the first time inside the French 22 meters in the 55th minute. “Before that, they score on three flashes, actions on which we are beaten in duels. »
- The Springboks’ scoring potential was 24 points. “They score 29. Bravo to them. This team was able to maximize its chances, as in the semi-final and the final, in fact. »
“If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t change anything,” he asserts. We die at a point…” As for arbitration, a subject on which he came up during the analysis without being specifically questioned about it, Galthié simply pointed out that with his referent Jérôme Garcès, they had sent Joël Jutge (the boss of referees at World Rugby) and Ben O’Keeffe nine situations where they believe they “need answers about the decisions that were taken”. A usual procedure after each international match.
Bubble exit
These last three weeks, the coach has not spent his time ruminating and counting the number of times he wanted to gut Eben Etzebeth. He also realized “leaving this World Cup bubble” how the people outside were also waiting to celebrate the first world title in the history of French rugby, and that for them too, the The descent was tough. “We felt it during the competition, but when I came back into contact with real life I saw how much the French loved us,” he emphasizes. It’s not going to give us the title, but there you go. »
That’s it, it gives the heart balm to bounce back, and plan for the future, because it’s going to be necessary. Without talking – again – about the players who will or will not be part of the new cycle which will start with the next Tournament, in February, Galthié wanted to be quite clear on the resources made available to the XV of France. For him, there is no reason why the priority given to the Blues over the last four years should stop abruptly under the pretext of having failed.
“I want to believe that we will continue to walk together”
The 2022 Grand Slam, the 80% victory rate, the return of the Tricolores to the world elite and the sold-out matches are all guarantees to continue, believes the coach. “When the French team does well, it is first of all additional resources for all the clubs,” he said. It is a revenue center, not an expenditure center. I want to believe that we will continue to walk together, that everyone has understood the interest for the League and the Federation in being associated. In good times and bad. »
He will have the opportunity to say it again, if necessary, to the president of the LNR René Bouscatel, whom he will meet soon to discuss the agreement which dictates the provision of international players. In the meantime, Galthié could not leave us with a tirade of which he has the secret. No “good advice from Darwin” or “revealer of men and souls”, this time, but an ode to the ambition which must inhabit every rugby player in our beautiful country.
“All players must think that they can play for the France team. The lesson to learn from this experience is that there is no limit to the requirements to have the best possible team, he professes. Let’s all try to raise our level another notch. It is at this price that we will be even more efficient. » He even told it to the kids he met in the afternoon. This is perhaps how we train those who will bring France its first World Cup, since the site remains open.