2023-11-27 15:51:08
Fabien Galthié is not giving up. He is right, as evidenced by his 80% success at the head of the Blues in four years. The premature elimination in the quarter-final of the World Cup, on October 15 at the Stade de France, by South Africa (29-28), crowned two weeks later, does not call anything into question for him. The coach of the French XV hit the nail on the head during an interview given to the Midi-Olympique newspaper on the sidelines of his press conference last Friday in the Pic Saint-Loup rugby club, about twenty kilometers to the north. from Montpellier (Hérault), after a training session with under-19s.
On the data (data analyses) which he brandishes each time like a shield and to which he seems to attach a visceral, perhaps exaggerated, importance, Fabien Galthié has not changed compared to his first speech on November 8 last. “We can’t be blamed for not working on our matches and not being intelligent,” he emphasizes. Working with analytics is being smart. It allows us to better look at the past to anticipate the future. When you go from 33% of victories to 80%, it means that you have succeeded in modifying something that had been anchored for ten years. We must not question the intelligence that allows us to play as fairly as possible. »
“It’s my failure, I accept it”
How then can we explain the defeat and this premature elimination? “There are facts of the game and decisions which concern us, others which are not controlled and which do not concern us,” he added. On the method, we will continue to improve. This debate on data has become almost caricatured. Again, we can’t be blamed for trying to be clever. »
The coach hears the criticism, even the most virulent ones like those of former international Richard Dourthe – “Fabien Galthié takes people for idiots, he smokes everyone with his data,” he said on the set of Canal + – but don’t try to explain. “I’m very comfortable with criticism, whether it goes our way or not,” he said. Everyone can express themselves and make judgments on the French XV, its coaches and selectors. I have no response. On the other hand, analysis is part of our work. Our job is to bring an “intelligent” French team onto the field with a plan, co-constructed with the players, in addition to all the virtues that the game requires.”
We will have understood, Fabien Galthié will remain clinging to his arrow of intelligence. But he agrees to feel responsible for the failure of the Blues. “It’s my failure, I accept it,” he slips. We can use the word with courage, with lucidity. I have to search, I have to understand. This is what I’ve been doing for a month. One of my conclusions is this: sometimes things that should happen don’t happen. You shouldn’t hurt yourself too much either because you can’t control everything. » Then he presses: “What I tell the players and the staff is that we must not dig too much, otherwise we will dig a hole from which nothing good will come out. »
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