At the Stade de France
LE FIGARO. – What is your assessment of this match? Matthieu JALIBERT. – Lots of positives. We end with a great victory. We were soft in the first half. We had trouble setting up the game we wanted to put on. The rhythm was choppy. In the second half, we were able to increase in intensity. Physically, we were really good. In the first half, it was raining a bit and the ball was slipping, so we had to adapt to the conditions. We had trouble stringing together playing times. In the second half, we were able to string together. The Aussies made more mistakes so that leaves more space. When we are in the advance, it is easier to play rugby.
What is your personal assessment after this meeting? I felt good. A first half more in management and in the second half a more liberated game, so I unbridled. The impact of the finishers was good too so it’s a full game.
How do you manage the absence due to injury of Romain Ntamack? I saw it rather calmly. It’s very sad for Romain. He is an important player in the team and it made a lot of noise. Now we are on a four-year cycle. With Antoine, we know each other well. We already had some playing time together. We have already started matches. This is the World Cup game. We may still have breakage and reserve or out-of-group players must be ready.
Have you changed your status since Romain Ntamack’s injury? I stopped asking myself those kinds of questions. I work and I want to prove myself to be present and respond to the requests of the staff. Inevitably, today I wanted to prove that I was able to last 80 minutes. I reassured myself personally and I hope to show a positive image.
Do you have to adapt between Maxime Lucu, your club teammate, and Antoine Dupont? Yes, there is an adaptation because they are different players. But as I said, I’ve been working with Antoine for four years. We have already started matches together, we often train together, so there are automatisms. We didn’t get to know each other this week. Antoine is a high quality player. It’s easy to play with him. You have to adapt because he is a player who likes to carry the ball. I really enjoy playing with him, and also with Max.
Is the preparation, physical in particular, finally bearing fruit? We felt it in the second half but also during the training sessions. We are able to chain. We feel better and better and the peak of performance is supposed to arrive very soon. The preparation was very hard but we need it to start the World Cup strong.
How do you feel after the All Blacks’ rout against South Africa (35-7 loss)? They struggled but it’s hard to tell. Don’t get the wrong idea about this game. I am convinced that on September 8 they will offer us a completely different face. The All Blacks are still a great team, which is used to these major competitions. We have a lot of respect for this team and we will prepare in the best possible way. They took a slap, even in the media it must be complicated for them. So, inevitably, they will want to be revengeful and show another face, especially since we beat them in November 2021. We know the France-All Blacks rivalry, it will be a big game. Both teams will be there, I have no doubt about that.
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