Romain Ntamack (left) and Matthieu Jalibert (right).
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GEOFF CADDICK / Adrian DENNIS / AFP
Until his jaw injury at the end of last December, Romain Ntamack was an indisputable holder in the eyes of Fabien Galthié.
Since then, Matthieu Jalibert has given full satisfaction and will be renewed on Saturday against Wales.
But couldn't we see the two men together on the pitch?
For that, it would be necessary to position the Bordelais at the back, which the staff does not exclude (in the long term).
There was a time, not so long ago, when the French coach had to scrape the tureen to find an opening half that was almost drinkable to put in his fifteen at kick-off.
Today, Fabien Galthié just needs to pump up a tree in Marcoussis for ten to fall.
Okay, ten ... let's say at least two, which is already quite a luxury.
With the explosion at the highest level of Romain Ntamack and Matthieu Jalibert, the French coach is spoiled for choice at the position of 10. And in this little game of competition, it is not good to miss an episode.
More or less established No. 1 since the enthronement of Galthié at the head of the Blues, the opening half Romain Ntamack is slowly seeing his teammate pass him in front of the hierarchy, in any case that's how 'we read the new tenure of the Bordelais on Saturday for the match against Wales.
Propelled to the fore after Ntamack's jaw injury, Jalibert did better than play the luxury liners.
Already before the Crunch, the man with the glasses of space justified his choice, "logical", to continue with the player of the UBB, evoking a form of continuity in the performances.
An observation that the defeat against the English has not changed.
“He had a solid game, he performed well in his role as a scorer, which is very important.
In the animation, he was also efficient, in the offensive animation and the management of the game. He was solid in a match against a consistent opponent, ”detailed Galthié Thursday.
Jalibert in 15, a lasting solution?
Would it then be a little too greedy to say that it is a shame to have to do without one of these two players?
Or, to use an expression dear to crazy Twittos: Why always compare them instead of just enjoying these two monsters?
This was the theory defended by the former international Richard Dourthe at the start of Galthié's mandate in the columns of the
Midi Olympique
.
"Today, with Ntamack and Jalibert, we have two very great talents and I want to see them together and at the same time in the field," he said.
In the England team, Eddie Jones has also very often moved Owen Farrell to the center to make room for George Ford, whom he considered essential in the animation.
Great players know how to live together, that's their nature.
"
His idea, if we push the reasoning to the end, would then be to slide Jalibert into 15 to allow the Ntamack-Dupont duo to reform this thrill hinge.
This is not surprising since the Bordelais has already evolved in this position in a club, no later than at the beginning of the month against Pau.
If, for Christophe Urios, it is clear that it was of the order of the one shot, the Bordeaux coach suggested that the idea was gaining ground in Marcoussis: “A member of the staff [of the XV of France] m 'already called on Saturday morning to tell me it was a good idea.
I told him let's play the game first, we'll see if it was one afterwards.
My initial idea is that Matthew is a 10. Not a 15. ”.
No time to turn everything upside down
This is also the opinion of the former opening half Christophe Lamaison who explains that “if we have two excellent 10s, we might as well use them where they are the best.
"" And above all, given the context, where we still have the possibility of playing for victory in the tournament, I do not believe that the time has come for testing.
We must rest on our certainties.
The debate for me is irrelevant today.
This may be more the case with a view to the 2023 World Cup. There, yes, the question deserves to be asked.
"
For the former international center Thomas Lombard, the time is not for upheavals either: "I find that we have a skeleton which is solid, on the backbone 8-9-10-15, we have two 10 of very high quality, a super 9 with Antoine Dupont, and a back in the person of Brice Dulin who is of a surprising and admirable consistency.
It is not an absolute necessity to change that.
"
Indeed, who says positioning Jalibert in 15 also means putting a buffer towards the bench at Brice Dulin.
However, the recent performances of the back of La Rochelle, elected man of the match against Ireland last month, are not the type to push Galthié to change his plans in the short or medium term.
Even if, by the coach's own admission, whom we asked on Thursday on the subject, Jalibert in 15 "is an option that we are working with the staff".
It remains to be seen what the main interested party thinks.
Until recently, Jalibert did not hide his lack of enthusiasm to evolve at the rear but, as to believe Cédric Heymans, at the beginning of the month on the set of the Canal Rugby Club, “his speech is changing.
With the qualities he has, that can make a very good rear ”.
Nothing like a good big competition between the two
“It's always a plus to have protean players who can evolve in several positions but I maintain that it is better to play the competition at the position of 10, clutches Thomas Lombard.
I believe in the policy of the fit man and it seems to me that it is also the will of the coach, to be able to maintain this pressure, this competition.
"For the competition to bear fruit, the number 1a would still have to have a chance at the end of the match, which was not the case on Saturday against the English.
"Ntamack should return for a few minutes on Saturday", tries to reassure us "Titou" Lamaison.
And Galthié closed the debate: “We are very satisfied with the performance of these two players.
What's interesting is that both players contribute to their emulation and progression.
They both begin to be fed with lived experience, with experience, with a match.
The players feed and feed on the project ”.
Just be careful that the bowl of one does not fill up to the total detriment of the other.
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