After revealing his starting lineup for the match against South Africa on Saturday, France XV coach Fabien Galthié was rave about the Springboks, while regretting not being able to benefit from the same preparation as them.
Fabien Galthié, qWhat is your view on the South African team?
For me, it’s the best team in the world, maybe the best team in the world that has ever existed. They are in a growing development phase, they are able to release more players and develop their pool through their organization. They have been together since June, they have played ten matches, they will be close to twenty at the end of November. It’s a full-fledged international season for them. Everything is built with a vision that takes them to 2027. This is an even stronger team than the previous South African teams we have played. It is the most difficult sporting and rugby challenge of the moment for this generation. We have never played such a strong team.
What remains of the quarter-final of the 2023 World Cup?
It remains an experience of incredible richness, an experience that leads us to progress. We are focused on the future, but the past nourishes it. It was a wonderful experience to go through, both in substance and form, which helps us move forward. There are 20 matches left to play for this team, until preparation for the World Cup.
Why did you choose Gaël Fickou as captain?
It’s a logical choice. He is one of those players who has been with us for seven seasons. He’s in good shape. He had a pre-season and a season which allowed him to be at a level of form that he rarely had with us, due to the sequence of matches. He managed to find space to regenerate. We found it consistent to appoint him captain.
Galthié: “This forces us to put together a team very quickly, to get to the essentials”
You take the risk of aligning two inexperienced pillars at international level…
This team (from France) is the best at the moment, we must not question these players who are just starting out, it’s a bit vexatious. They are the best pillars of the moment, they can’t wait to be at the Stade de France to show what they are capable of doing. We are very happy and very proud to take on an immense challenge. They already have two selections, which they had this summer against the All Blacks. They also performed in their club and with us in training. The challenge is enormous for these two players.
Why did you choose to start Mickaël Guillard rather than Grégory Alldritt?
The current level of performance. Mika has been with us for a little over a season. He performed well with us in 5 and 8, he has potential that we want to develop. We want to create emulation at all positions. Anthony Jelonch can also play in 8. Grégory is in the group. He has played a lot with us and with his club for four years. We have to find the rotations, to consider developing this team and allow the players to regenerate. But it’s the best team at the moment, I repeat.
How to create a team despite the number of significant injuries and a very different agenda from other teams?
(hesitation) I would say that it is our ecosystem which requires us to work on how to deal with these teams, like South Africa, but also New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, England… We have to work in this context. This is a subject that I will not discuss because everyone knows it. Now is not the time to dwell on this issue. This forces us to be good, to learn how to put together a team very quickly, to get to the point. It’s a challenge that we accepted, knowingly.
Galthié: “We feel that we have created unconditional support around this team”
The South Africans often made you difficult on pressure kicks, have you worked on this problem?
We must move quickly to implement a strategy that is both offensive and defensive. South Africa has 15 hunters on the ground, hunting on the ground and in the air, and it’s done very well. Their strategy is clear. We must be able not to be hunted, but to become hunters. We are working on it and we are looking. In training, we progressed. But the South Africans have had time to prepare for this match and are able to start a match in a completely opposite way. They have the material.
You closed the training sessions to the media, should we expect any surprises on Saturday?
We did not close them, we shortened the observation time. We make sure you have something to tell our supporters. We need our supporters. We feel that we are supported. The last match against Scotland was followed by 17 million viewers. We feel that we have created unconditional support around this team, and we want to maintain it.
