On your state of mind after this draw (13-13):
Fabien Galthié: “I will keep things for myself. But I remain very happy to be at the head of this team for this mission. We will soon be better. We are going through a difficult time. It’s hard. We are not satisfied. Do not believe that with 80% victories, everything was easy. There were difficult times, but it was tough. We are in a cycle where we are not at our level.
We are in a period of resilience. It only increases my desire to succeed tenfold. It has to happen in a course. But I am convinced of the strength of character, the collective strength, the fitness of men to carry out this mission. There is commitment, determination and lucidity. Our challenge is to find the right accuracy. We must accept happiness, but also pain, suffering. You have to be good in weak times. But what is certain is that I am not satisfied with our results. »
“What we sought was to raise the level of training”
On the many changes in training methods:
“We open all training sessions. This helps you understand our method. This transparency allows us to observe that we have evolved our method. We decided to mix up the teams, not to confuse the issue. We need to be clear. But to get energy to challenge ourselves and challenge the players. What we sought was to raise the level of training. We also changed the ball in play a little. It was a pair association. The goal was to observe. There were challenges in certain positions. That was said to the players. We said it on Monday. We will challenge for three days before announcing the team. »
On strong choices with several neophytes:
“The facts mean that places become available. Red cards (Danty), injuries (Jalibert), but also performances. I have a thought for Jonathan (Danty) who freed up a place. Nicolas Depoortere had already worked with us when he was in the under-20s, he already came to challenge the others during training at 42. It was a constructed finish. To talk about Nolann Le Garrec, he was with us in the summer of 2022 in Japan. »
(Patrick Arlettaz speaks): “He came to get the jersey with three convincing entries into play. Max (Lucu) suffered from the collective performance. He will be able to manage the end of the match for us. »
“Thomas Ramos is a leader, we bring him up to the opening so that he weighs with his determination and his knowledge of the game”
(Fabien Galthié speaks again): “Nolann (Le Garrec) is very strong with Racing. He came for the jersey consistently. Léo Barré has already been participating in training for two years. He performs, he is a versatile player. He came to get the jersey naturally, consistently after the injury to Matthieu Jalibert. Thomas Ramos is a leader, we bring him back to the opening so that he weighs with his determination and his knowledge of the game.
Emmanuel Meafou, we have been waiting for his eligibility for more than a year. Like Georges-Henri Colombe. We were waiting for him. It took a long time to come. He is ready. On the choice to release Cameron (Woki), it was made on freshness. Alexandre Roumat gave us a good start. We favored freshness and the form of the moment. We let Cameron breathe to come back stronger. But he is still part of the France group. It’s simply emulation. As for Julien Marchand in place of Peato Mauvaka. Julien will give us his motivation. The harder we are, the more he will show us his strength. It is the symbol of resilience. »
“We are going to face a younger team. Well done to the Welsh. This is what is at the heart of their rugby”
On Wales:
“I’ll tell you what I told the players. The previous two visits Wales were an older and more experienced team. We are going to face a younger team. Well done to the Welsh. This is what makes up the heart of their rugby. There is this culture of work and difficulty. But there is also talent, always. Without forgetting the Millenium and its closed roof. »
On Antoine Dupont at 7:
“His project has existed for two years. After the 2022 Grand Slam, Antoine Dupont and Jérôme Daret (coach of the French rugby sevens team) spoke to me about this project. I am proud and happy for the French 7s team and Antoine. The challenge has been met. It seems to me that Antoine has talent (he smiles). This is time saved for the French team. It will bear fruit for future years and in particular the 2027 World Cup. It is an inspiring choice. »
