2023-09-22 01:11:47
He arrived tense, his face closed. Forty-five minutes after the end of the match which ended with a historic victory, the largest for the French XV in all eras, over Namibia (96-0, 14 tries), Fabien Galthié presented himself to the conference press this Thursday evening. The coach was immediately questioned about the injury to Antoine Dupont, who came out in the 46th minute, hit in the face in a high tackle by Namibian captain Johan Deysel, himself then expelled according to the bunker rule. With his eyes glued to his cell phone, Fabien Galthié was waiting for news from the hospital where his player went, immediately after leaving the field, to take exams. “Right now, he is in the hospital,” he said. There is suspicion of a crack or fracture of the maxilla. I will give you news as soon as I have it, even if it happens during the conference. »
“We can’t take out all fifteen players”
The coach did not receive any. He first admitted his disappointment. “When a player gets injured with us, we are never happy,” he said. We are still concerned. This is not the same as if we had had zero injuries. » Then he got annoyed. Asked why he had not replaced Antoine Dupont at half-time, he engaged in verbal and gestural contortions.
“We can’t take out all fifteen players,” he retorted. We planned to change the two pillars and a second line (Woki). The others, who could be replaced, had to come off in the 55th minute. They needed to play otherwise they would have gone for a month without a match (the usual starters had dominated New Zealand, 27-13 on September 8, before being left to rest on the 14th during the sluggish success against Uruguay, 27-12). Indeed, if Antoine Dupont had been replaced at half-time, he would not have been injured. »
Galthié then launches into a surreal exchange with his vice-captain Charles Ollivon, placed at his side. He turns to him, asks him if he was happy to play, if his teammates wanted to play this match. The third wing line responds in the affirmative by entering into his game. A scene worthy of the boulevard theater. The coach then tries to dismiss the subject by talking about the Vélodrome stadium, incredible, the pleasure he always experiences with the XV of France, even if he also suffers, sometimes. “But having fun is not the goal,” he adds. The goal is to play together. » The question-and-answer game ends. “I still haven’t heard from the hospital,” he slips before leaving the room.
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