In a sprint at the last minute on the lawn of Castres, Matthieu Jalibert launched a debate. Not the one to determine whether or not he deserves the status of the best opener in the Top 14 this season. But one on the loss of the sacrosanct and rehashed value of rugby. This November 13, therefore, the opening half of Bordeaux-Bègles jumped up to celebrate the test of winning registered in stoppage time on the field. And, on the road, put a roomy slap as it should to the Tarn rear Julien Dumora. The small provocation led to a fight in the Castres endpoint and earned the teaser a call to order from Blues captain Charles Ollivon on his return to Marcoussis the following week.
Nothing serious in the end, but the story was enough to add to a reputation as a very talented player, but a little too sure of himself. “This is the image he gives off. He can give the impression of being in the provocation and wanting to show that he is the best, recognizes his friend and partner in young people in Gironde, Raphaël Lassegnore. In fact, he’s a super simple guy, who doesn’t take the lead. “
“He likes to sleep, but it’s never bad, joins his former roommate and teammate in Bordeaux, Jules Gimbert. Some do a lot worse than him, and it doesn’t make as much noise. “” Yes, I’m a little mischievous … I like to provoke, titillate, chamber, challenge people “, admits the person concerned in an interview with The team Thursday. An interview where he denies having “a mentality of footballers”, which earned him a protest press release from the National Union of Professional Footballers.
In the meantime, the gifted 22-year-old will have a new chance to shine with the France team in the Tournament after a 2020 edition spent in the shadow of the usual holder, Romain Ntamack. In the absence of the Toulousain, injured jaw, Matthieu Jalibert will form the hinge of the XV of France with Antoine Dupont for the first match of the year of the Blues this Saturday (3:15 p.m.) in Italy. The tricolor staff, little fond of the Castres episode, is waiting to see the applied Jalibert again and sure of his choices, as in December in England. And not necessarily the 10 who sometimes wants to make the decision too much by his flashes.
“He will try blows, even when we tell him not to try them”
“Romain Ntamack is the player to whom you give a game plan, who will stick to it and manage his match perfectly. Matthieu, he is more in the fun and will try shots even when he is told not to try them, describes their former coach in the U20, Thomas Lièvremont. With Dupont who also provokes a lot of ball in hand, it will perhaps miss someone to procrastinate. But we must recognize that offensively, that can make big differences. “
“On an action, he is capable of a flash of genius, says Jules Gimbert. He has this gift for changing the course of a game. “” I saw him cross the field with the youngsters in Bordeaux, remembers Raphaël Lassegnore. But besides that, he will have a hard time being fully satisfied with himself. He can be monstrous on Saturdays and only talk about bad stuff on Sundays. “
In Rome, then probably in Dublin in a week if he does not disappoint against the Transalpines, the opener has the opportunity to write a new page in a checkered history with the Blues. In February 2018, he had seriously injured his left knee during his first selection against Ireland and had not played an official match for a year after a summer relapse. “It had put it at the bottom of the bucket,” says Raphaël Lassegnore. Then he fought. Not out of arrogance, just out of determination.
Article original de: www.leparisien.fr
