There was a slight doubt about the future of Fabien Galthié at the head of the Blues. For several weeks there have been rumors of fresh relations between the new president of the French Rugby Federation, Florian Grill, and the coach, who has never made a secret of his closeness to the resigning president Bernard Laporte. To the point of having considered leaving as well, but “Bernie” had dissuaded him.
The new boss of the FFR wanted, from this Monday noon, to put an end to the suspense by ensuring that Galthié, who had re-signed until June 2028 with the previous team, would remain in place. “The question of his future at the head of the XV of France absolutely does not arise,” Florian Grill assured our colleagues from Le Parisien. I have no doubt that we really have the best coach. The results of the last four years totally speak for him.”
A decision confirmed in Le Figaro by Jean-Marc Lhermet, vice-president of the FFR in charge of the French teams. “Given the work carried out, taking into account the feedback from the staff and players following the interviews we were able to have, there is no reason which would push us not to continue with Fabien Galthié. This staff showed that it was capable of bringing the French team to the best level. Even if there is this failure which chills us all, there is no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater, to draw too hasty conclusions.
It remains to be seen under what conditions the coach will continue his mission until the 2027 World Cup, in Australia, and even a little beyond, the 2028 Six Nations Tournament being included in his contract extension. First question: its plethoric staff. Around fifty members for a very high cost. Problematic for a federation which shows a deficit of 9 million euros.
“We haven’t addressed those details yet. We will meet again soon with Fabien to discuss the next steps and how to get there. It’s not yet decided, recognizes Lhermet. Now a different phase begins. We plan on something else and this requires discussions with Fabien, but also other members of the group, the leaders of this team. We’re going to listen with Florian Grill to what they want to do, how they want to do it. And we will explain to them our vision, our constraints. To find the best arrangement for the good of the France team. The paths to follow will be determined based on these discussions.”
Not impossible, therefore, that the staff will be quantitatively revised downwards. One thing is certain: there will be adjustments. After elimination, it is not possible to continue without changing the current operation. “This failure can make us grow, provided we are able to analyze it to understand what went wrong. It’s an essential step, underlines the former international (3 caps) and captain of Clermont. But I have no doubt that this staff will be able to analyze why we lost against South Africa so that the team is even stronger. It’s the ability to bounce back that will enable us to continue moving forward.”
Will he get closer to the French XV, he who, unlike his predecessor Serge Simon in his time, never stayed with the Blues during the competition? “I’m going to be as close as possible to this French team. Which doesn’t necessarily mean physically. My mission is that the XV of France is in the best possible conditions to be the most efficient. I will therefore be in contact to try to understand as best as possible how this team works. But I won’t be with them all the time. Which does not prevent me from having direct and regular contact with them, the staff and the team. With Florian, I have already met Fabien and certain players several times, and that will continue. All you have to do is define the way of working together. Then, trust is essential in the relationship. And I believe it exists…”