2023-05-16 15:48:41
A May sun that hesitates between warming or softening the atmosphere. A breeze that has fun caressing the wild grass in the surrounding fields. And in the alleys of this Lot village, an impressive silence winds between the stone walls of the buildings surrounding the church and the town hall, two neighbors in the center of this small world perched in the middle of the hills 20 km from Cahors. Welcome to Montgesty, a town of 320 souls where Fabien Galthié, the coach of the Blues, grew up. This is where he made an appointment with a swarm of journalists this Tuesday, May 16, in the premises of the town hall where his father Jean-Noël has been elected since 2008.
This is where he had already invited the press on November 13, 2019, to launch his mandate. “It’s serene here,” smiles the coach as a preamble. “It’s a return to the origins, we mark our attachment to the territories”, adds the manager of the XV of France Raphaël Ibanez.
All the staff have been at their side since Sunday to finalize the preparation for the World Cup in France (September 8 – October 28). Everything is now done. The last questions have been raised. The list of 42 players selected will be unveiled on June 21 and the Blues will begin their preparation in Monaco on July 2, for a first two-week session. The internship in Carpiagne (Bouches-du-Rhône) at the end of June, initially envisaged, has been cancelled. “We saw fit, given the season of the players, given that the Top 14 final takes place on June 17, to give those who participated two weeks of rest, explains Galthié. Recovery is also training time. We pay close attention to everything. »
The Blues will also cut for ten days after Monaco, before ending up in Marcoussis (Essonne). They will then join Capbreton (Landes) from August 7 to 25, where they will be accompanied by their relatives. An innovation. “Each will have a bungalow, specifies the coach. It’s consistent with what we’ve done so far. After each competition, there is an evening with loved ones. Everyone knows each other. Raphaël Ibanez continues: “We want to strengthen the group spirit, the esprit de corps. We want there to be a French family. It must be said that the players also play for their loved ones. “The staff worked on the issue. The goal is to maintain the highest possible level of motivation and involvement. A World Cup lasts almost four months, competition and preparation included… “These are things that we missed when we were in the France team”, slips William Servat, the assistant coach in charge of the forwards.
On their return, the Tricolores will establish their base camp for the competition in Rueil-Malmaison (Hauts-de-Seine). They will then have played four preparation matches, set from the start of Fabien Galthié’s term of office: against Scotland, August 5 in Edinburgh and August 12 in Saint-Etienne, Fiji on August 19 in Nantes and Australia on August 26. at the Stade de France. The list of 42, which will be reduced to 33 on August 21, may also change with each change of location, from Monaco to Marcoussis then from Marcoussis to Capbreton. This leaves hope for the injured like Anthony Jelonch (knee) or Melvyn Jaminet (ankle), engaged in a race against the clock. “Anthony’s rehabilitation is going very well,” says Fabien Galthié. He was at my house last week. He is one of those exceptional players who have an extraordinary capacity for recovery. Besides, the surgeon does not understand what is happening. »
Everything was going well then, in the best of all possible worlds, this Tuesday under the Lot sun where the coach symbolically launched the World Cup. The main objective of his mandate.
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