His speech was expected. Fabien Galthié had not spoken since his press conference, several minutes after the end of the World Cup quarter-final match narrowly lost to South Africa (28-29), on October 15. Depressed, like all the players and staff of the French XV. For those who were killed in the defeat at home, the French coach let the end of the World Cup in France – with the crowning of the Springboks – cut him short. It is obligatory to respect “the time of mourning. ” after this elimination, the French coach said on Wednesday, November 8.
After leading an educational consultation with teenagers from the Paris University Club (PUC) – where he played more with young people than in education – Fabien Galthié spoke for the first time of the “immense sadness” caused by the early departure of his French team . in “his” World Cup. “The only goal we were pursuing was to become world champions. There is no other, and the sadness would have been the same if we had lost by one point in the semifinal or final,” the coach insisted, acknowledging that “this injury will mark a “a scar that will remain with us for life. “
He explained that he had presented his troops, the week before the quarter-finals, with the two imaginable scenarios, that of a “dislocation” after 4 months in combination, where the French were forced to evacuate their hotel by noon the next day. . Their defeat and abrupt separation have left their mark. And Fabien Galthié waited five days before he could see the attack lost by such a narrow margin again: “At some point you will die!On the exercise that takes him back to In the Lot region, the technician dives back into France-South Africa after bathing an entire nation.
“Tactically, I would do the same if I had to do it again,” said the coach, rejecting any mistakes. Although he admits that he will not be able to avoid the questions, the former Stade Français coach discovered in the “knowledge”, the knowledge with which he feeds his management, many reasons not to “question everything” after this defeat by one point. Important in rugby is the perception of expected goals, already well known in football (the probability of seeing a shot converted into a goal), the French coach pointed out that his men, who entered the South African goal area 11 times, created far more chances than their opponents, whom he praised for their “hyperrealism”. Game Facts. . . It’s not enough,” he said. And it is the Springboks who continued their adventure towards the world title: “A point is nothing, but a point is everything,” said Fabien Galthié.
If New Zealand’s refereeing Ben O’Keeffe has been stoking the headlines for almost a month now, the French coach has been careful not to start the machine again. We’ll have to settle for defeat,” said Fabien Galthié at the end of the session. Now it’s time for a new 4-year term, with the 2027 World Cup in Australia as a priority. Reinforced in his purposes through the president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), Florian Grill, After the defeat, the French coach, who has resurrected a French XV weakened by years of misery, called for maintaining the spirit of unity that presided over his mandate. The first 4 years at the helm of Les Bleus. between the National Rugby League (LNR), a branch of the clubs, and the Federation: “We walk together. We need to keep walking together, that’s called solidarity,” insisted Fabien Galthié, stressing that Les Bleus’ good fortune permeates all of French rugby.
While the Top 14 regained their rights the day after the final, and most of the French internationals returned to their clubs – and, for some, like Toulouse hooker Peato Mauvaka, to the pitch – the French coach has just over two months’ notice. At the beginning of February, their French XV will host Ireland, the big stunned World Cup in France, in Marseille for the opening of the Six Nations Tournament.
“The lesson we must learn from this experience is that there are no limits to standards,” Galthié concluded. Let’s not be simple collectively, let’s not be simple individually, let’s all try to make our point even more. That’s how we’re going to be effective. ” While the “scar” of defeat will be etched for life in the souls of French players and coaches, as well as their fans, Fabien Galthié feels enough sadness as a player to know that this mess is “never a handicap”. And twenty-four days after failing to score any points for the Springboks, the Lotus coach is eager to get back to work.