Latest news with #Galthié
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
All Blacks vs France: Fabien Galthié demands ‘neutral' refereeing in Hamilton finale
French coach Fabien Galthié has hit out at the refereeing in the series which has his side 2-0 down against the All Blacks going into Saturday's final test. Speaking to French media after the second test, Galthié aired his grievances about match officials' treatment of the scrum. 'Clearly, we need
Winnipeg Free Press
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
France's weak lineup for the first rugby test against New Zealand raises questions
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — France's selection of eight uncapped players among a team of unknowns for the first test against New Zealand on Saturday highlights again rugby's failure to develop an integrated international calendar. French coach Fabien Galthié has brought an understrength squad to New Zealand for the three-test series, leaving at home many of his leading players who have been involved in the latter rounds of the Top 14 club competition. While New Zealand Rugby and All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson have been diplomatic about the makeup of the French squad, the decision to send a weakened group to New Zealand has been more widely interpreted as arrogant and disrespectful. Despite years of work towards an integrated global calendar, World Rugby has continued to prioritize northern hemisphere club competitions ahead of the July test window. Galthié has insisted he has no other choice than to pick players who are rested. Yet when southern hemisphere teams tour Britain and Europe in November, they routinely take full-strength teams and players who have been in training for up to 10 months. 'We don't have a choice other than picking players who have finished their seasons,' Galthié said. 'It's an opportunity for us to work with the best players available. 'The constraints of the Six Nations, the November tests, the Top 14, and the European Cup leave us with no other choice for the summer tour.' Galthié said criticism of the decision to bring a team of obscure club players to New Zealand is misplaced. 'You have to be informative and try to explain the obligations which are linked to our season schedule,' he said. 'I understand very well that, on the international circuit, people don't understand why the team that went undefeated in November and won the (Six Nations) tournament isn't there.' The French club season has long been a bugbear which World Rugby hasn't addressed. The All Blacks will gain little or nothing from playing a team of players so little known that routine analysis of their play has been difficult. This season is expected to be a major test for Robertson, who lost four tests in his first season in charge and is under pressure to produce better results. It is unlikely the coming series will reveal much about how the All Blacks coach has grown since last year, unless the French prove surprisingly competitive. Robertson has admitted he lacked self-confidence in his first year in charge and that resulted in a conservative approach to selection and tactics. His choice of four new caps in this match and his pledge to play a more attacking game points to a more confident approach. 'We want to play fast,' Robertson said. 'We think the game is in a great place for us — quick scrums, quick lineouts, quick taps. Our skill set trends to us playing fast and creating so that's what we'll push all week.' Robertson said France will be 'quite free . . . there is not too much weight on their shoulders and respect so they can be dangerous.' ___ AP rugby:
The 42
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'It's complete BS' - All Blacks legend Justin Marshall slams France's approach to NZ tour
ALL BLACKS LEGEND Justin Marshall has branded France's decision to send an inexperienced squad to New Zealand this summer as 'complete BS'. Six Nations champions France will be without a host of their frontline players for their three-Test series against the All Blacks, with star names such as Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Damian Penaud, Thomas Ramos and Gregory Alldritt given the summer off by Fabien Galthié after a physically demanding season. Galthié has named 17 uncapped players in his initial 37-man squad, with only three — tour skipper Gael Fickou, Leinster tighthead Rabah Slimani, and Racing lock Romain Taofifenua — boasting over 50 Test appearances. France's squad will be strengthened for the second and third Tests by five members of the two Top 14 finalists, Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles. Those players will be named when the results of fitness tests performed after Saturday's final are known. But speaking on The Breakdown show on Sky Sport in his native New Zealand, former All Black scrum-half Justin Marshall said Galthié's developmental approach to the series bore the hallmarks of 'disrespect' towards international rugby. 'To be honest, I'm really disappointed,' Marshall said. 'Look, the side that the French have bought is clearly underpowered. At the end of the day, the average age [is] 25 and the average number of caps [is] 9.3. 'This is a side that has a very little amount of experience. At the end of the day, there's 49% of the players have got no caps at all. So, it's a development team with a few senior players involved. Advertisement 'In my mind, it's complete BS the way that they're treating this tour, the way that the French always seem to have come up with excuses to not bring their top players. I feel they disrespect the international window.' Marshall expressed his belief that the tour could still be competitive, but cited the commercial importance of the series to New Zealand Rugby as cause for dissatisfaction with Galthié's selection. 'Our fans deserve to see their best players playing in our country against our All Blacks because we do that in November to them: we send our very best players for filling their stadiums and giving the fans the best experience they can get by seeing the best players in the world. 'They are not doing that,' said Marshall, who had a short stint in France with Montpellier during his playing career. 'And if they keep doing this, which is quite regular for them, just don't invite them. We'll play someone else. 'Look, it's still going to be a good series, and they'll be competitive, and they've got depth. 'But the reality is, they've left 70% of their best players in France, and I just don't feel that that is within the decency and the respect of the game.' Marshall's fellow former All Black, Jeff Wilson, meanwhile, questioned the merits of France's approach as far as it pertains to developing their squad for the future. Wilson, who also represented his country in cricket, argued that selecting a full squad to face New Zealand away from home would have been better preparation for Les Bleus ahead of the 2027 World Cup, which takes place in Australia. 'They are absolutely going to go out there and compete and prepare the best they can', Wilson said, 'but when push comes to shove, experience goes a long, long way and you're playing the All Blacks in New Zealand. 'The part I'm disappointed about is that if they genuinely want to win a World Cup at some point, you want to give yourself the best opportunity to do that. You have to take on the top teams away from home, because in two years' time a World Cup is being played in Australia, and that's familiar territory to us.' The first Test between New Zealand and France will take place in Dunedin this Saturday, 5 July, with the second Test set for Wellington a week later. Hamilton will host the final Test on Saturday, 19 July. Fullback Cheikh Tiberghien and wing Gabin Villière are injury worries for France just five days out from the series opener. Gabin Villière in action against New Zealand at the 2023 World Cup. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Both back-three players had been expected to start in Dunedin, with Les Bleus currently looking short of options in each of their positions. Villière, one of the more seasoned players in Galthié's squad with 18 caps, sat out training after feeling pain in the warm-up, while Tiberghien limped off during the training session before having strapping applied to his right thigh. Tiberghien's Bayonne clubmate, Tom Spring, who can cover wing or fullback, also sat out the training session, while potential fullback option Léo Barré has yet to join the squad as he continues to recover from the unspecified injury that ruled him out of the tour warm-up victory over an England side missing their Lions. 'There were some problems during training but we have yet to hear back from the medical staff,' said France assistant coach Laurent Sempere. In the absences of Villière, Tiberghien and Spring during training, Galthié slotted in Theo Attissogbe at fullback and deployed Emilien Gailleton and Alivereti Duguivalu on the wings.
NBC Sports
18-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Six Nations review: France saves Galthié, England has mojo back and aging Ireland squad
France LONDON (AP) — Finished: 1st The debrief: Murmurings about whether Fabien Galthié was the right coach to lead the team to the 2027 Rugby World Cup have been silenced after he delivered the second Six Nations title on his five-year watch. Until now, the 2022 title had been insufficient reward for a team backstopped by the Top 14 and a pipeline of young talent from the last four under-20 world championships, three of them won by France. Galthié has had everything in his favor but he somehow managed to miss out at the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Six Nations. The main regret this tournament was the mystifying loss to England at Twickenham, where France was on top everywhere but the scoreboard. Winning that would have sweetened France's 19th championship with an 11th Grand Slam. But the defeat made Galthié take a page from the book of Rassie Erasmus and copy South Africa's 7-1 'bomb squad' bench. Italy, Ireland and Scotland couldn't handle le bomb squad. The future looks encouraging. Of the matchday 23 on Saturday, 17 were under age 30. Their trophy win came a day after the under-20s won their championship, pulling off France's first men's double. Captain Antoine Dupont should be back for the autumn tests after rupturing his ACL this month. Best player: Louis Bielle-Biarrey. The first man in 100 years to score eight tries in one tournament. The third in the Six Nations era to touch down in every match. Quote: 'Lifting a title, leaving your mark on history, seeing family members smiling in the crowds, making them proud are unforgettable moments. That's what you play for.' — No. 8 Gregory Alldritt Who's next? New Zealand in Wellington, July 12 England Finished: 2nd The debrief: England has its mojo back. It was a stressful process. A team that lost matches it should have won last year began winning matches that it should have lost — see France and Scotland, both won by a point. The earned pinch of confidence was then turned into blowout wins over Italy and Wales. Coach Steve Borthwick made increasingly bold decisions, starting with making Maro Itoje captain, debuting Cadan Murley, pairing the Curry twins together, starting Fin Smith, recalling Elliot Daly, Fraser Dingwall and George Ford, and debuting Henry Pollock. But Borthwick struggled to find Marcus Smith's best place. He started at flyhalf, was shifted to fullback, dropped, and returned to fullback. While Fin Smith enhanced his credentials at 10, Marcus Smith scratched about at 15, seemingly keeping the jersey warm until George Furbank returns from a broken arm. Best player: Tom Curry. Sometimes outshone by his twin, Ben, and fellow backrower Ben Earl but better than them consistently and worked to the point of exhaustion. Quote: 'Coaching England comes with an expectation. I'd rather work in a job that has an expectation on it than a team that has no expectations.' — Borthwick Who's next? Argentina in Buenos Aires, July 5 Ireland Finished: 3rd The debrief: There's a reason only one team in 50 years — France in the late 1980s — has won three straight championships. One defeat doesn't mean the wheels have fallen off Triple Crown winner Ireland but the manner of that home defeat, to France by 42-27, will be a worry until it can refresh its bench with the power to withstand France's reserves. The psychological impact seemed to further age Ireland. Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Cian Healy have retired and at least nine more front-line players — including Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki and James Lowe — are 30 or over. Steered by novice flyhalf Sam Prendergast, the Irish produced in enough spurts to stay in the title race. Minus a large group of Lions, Ireland will use a July tour of Georgia and Portugal to start filling holes left by their departed greats. Best player: James Lowe. Regularly beat his first marker and always a handful. Was missed against France. Quote: 'We have started the process of evolving.' — interim coach Simon Easterby Who's next? Georgia in Tbilisi, July 5 Scotland Finished: 4th The debrief: Scotland hasn't contended for the title in this century, and won't until it can pair world-class backs with a world-class pack. And then it has to fill the bench, too. That's asking too much from a country with only two professional clubs and an open door to Scottish heritage players anywhere in the world. The backline showed flashes of brilliance, making the absence of injured captain and inside center Sione Tuipulotu harder to bear. Tom Jordan was a more-than-useful stand-in. Lock Scott Cummings was another critical late injury blow. Jamie Ritchie and Rory Darge were class forwards but when the pack tiredthe lack of depth was exposed. Gregor Townsend, the coach since 2017, has one more Six Nations in his contract. Best player: Blair Kinghorn. Led the tournament in carries, meters gained, linebreaks and offloads. Quote: 'No, if we don't win when we have a lot of the game, that's where we're going to finish.' — Townsend when asked if Scotland deserved better than fourth. Who's next? New Zealand Maori in Whangarei, July 5 Italy Finished: 5th The debrief: A step back from a year ago when it won twice and drew with France. Italy managed again to avoid the wooden spoon but its only win was at home against Warren Gatland's Wales, before Wales was revived by new coach Matt Sherratt. Up to that point, Italy was doing well, including a late rally at Murrayfield. But then the art of tackling was forgotten. Italy conceded 18 tries to France and England and salvaged some pride only by producing its best performance in the last round and threatening to upset Ireland at home. Best player: Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex. The best midfield in the competition, again. Quote: 'We know we can play at a level very close to that of the best in the world. The question arises naturally: Why can't we do what we offered today against France? Or against England? Or throughout the Six Nations?' — winger Ange Capuozzo Who's next? South Africa at Pretoria, July 5 Wales Finished: 6th The debrief: The losing streak stands at 17, the longest by a tier one national team in the professional era. It's been more than 520 days since Wales' last win. The Welsh appeared to have hit rock bottom in the loss at Italy that prompted Warren Gatland's exit. Matt Sherratt agreed to step in, and Wales responded with enough verve and fight to encourage hope of turning over a wary England. But despite willing endeavor, England put on an historic 68 points. Sherratt confirmed he's going back to Cardiff club. The Welsh Rugby Union is still seeking a permanent coach but it also has to be worried about its money-maker: home tests. New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina are lined up in November but fans won't be going if the WRU doesn't offer transparent plans on fixing its deep-rooted problems. Best player: Jac Morgan. The Sergio Parisse of Wales. Quote: 'I'm gutted that I couldn't help them get a win. They deserve one. They honestly do. I'm disappointed I couldn't get some smiles on faces in that dressing room.' — Sherratt Who's next? Japan at Kitakyushu, July 5
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Six Nations review: France saves Galthié, England has mojo back and aging Ireland squad
France LONDON (AP) — Finished: 1st The debrief: Murmurings about whether Fabien Galthié was the right coach to lead the team to the 2027 Rugby World Cup have been silenced after he delivered the second Six Nations title on his five-year watch. Until now, the 2022 title had been insufficient reward for a team backstopped by the Top 14 and a pipeline of young talent from the last four under-20 world championships, three of them won by France. Galthié has had everything in his favor but he somehow managed to miss out at the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Six Nations. The main regret this tournament was the mystifying loss to England at Twickenham, where France was on top everywhere but the scoreboard. Winning that would have sweetened France's 19th championship with an 11th Grand Slam. But the defeat made Galthié take a page from the book of Rassie Erasmus and copy South Africa's 7-1 'bomb squad' bench. Italy, Ireland and Scotland couldn't handle le bomb squad. The future looks encouraging. Of the matchday 23 on Saturday, 17 were under age 30. Their trophy win came a day after the under-20s won their championship, pulling off France's first men's double. Captain Antoine Dupont should be back for the autumn tests after rupturing his ACL this month. Best player: Louis Bielle-Biarrey. The first man in 100 years to score eight tries in one tournament. The third in the Six Nations era to touch down in every match. Quote: 'Lifting a title, leaving your mark on history, seeing family members smiling in the crowds, making them proud are unforgettable moments. That's what you play for.' — No. 8 Gregory Alldritt Who's next? New Zealand in Wellington, July 12 England Finished: 2nd The debrief: England has its mojo back. It was a stressful process. A team that lost matches it should have won last year began winning matches that it should have lost — see France and Scotland, both won by a point. The earned pinch of confidence was then turned into blowout wins over Italy and Wales. Coach Steve Borthwick made increasingly bold decisions, starting with making Maro Itoje captain, debuting Cadan Murley, pairing the Curry twins together, starting Fin Smith, recalling Elliot Daly, Fraser Dingwall and George Ford, and debuting Henry Pollock. But Borthwick struggled to find Marcus Smith's best place. He started at flyhalf, was shifted to fullback, dropped, and returned to fullback. While Fin Smith enhanced his credentials at 10, Marcus Smith scratched about at 15, seemingly keeping the jersey warm until George Furbank returns from a broken arm. Best player: Tom Curry. Sometimes outshone by his twin, Ben, and fellow backrower Ben Earl but better than them consistently and worked to the point of exhaustion. Quote: 'Coaching England comes with an expectation. I'd rather work in a job that has an expectation on it than a team that has no expectations.' — Borthwick Who's next? Argentina in Buenos Aires, July 5 Ireland Finished: 3rd The debrief: There's a reason only one team in 50 years — France in the late 1980s — has won three straight championships. One defeat doesn't mean the wheels have fallen off Triple Crown winner Ireland but the manner of that home defeat, to France by 42-27, will be a worry until it can refresh its bench with the power to withstand France's reserves. The psychological impact seemed to further age Ireland. Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Cian Healy have retired and at least nine more front-line players — including Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki and James Lowe — are 30 or over. Steered by novice flyhalf Sam Prendergast, the Irish produced in enough spurts to stay in the title race. Minus a large group of Lions, Ireland will use a July tour of Georgia and Portugal to start filling holes left by their departed greats. Best player: James Lowe. Regularly beat his first marker and always a handful. Was missed against France. Quote: 'We have started the process of evolving.' — interim coach Simon Easterby Who's next? Georgia in Tbilisi, July 5 Scotland Finished: 4th The debrief: Scotland hasn't contended for the title in this century, and won't until it can pair world-class backs with a world-class pack. And then it has to fill the bench, too. That's asking too much from a country with only two professional clubs and an open door to Scottish heritage players anywhere in the world. The backline showed flashes of brilliance, making the absence of injured captain and inside center Sione Tuipulotu harder to bear. Tom Jordan was a more-than-useful stand-in. Lock Scott Cummings was another critical late injury blow. Jamie Ritchie and Rory Darge were class forwards but when the pack tiredthe lack of depth was exposed. Gregor Townsend, the coach since 2017, has one more Six Nations in his contract. Best player: Blair Kinghorn. Led the tournament in carries, meters gained, linebreaks and offloads. Quote: 'No, if we don't win when we have a lot of the game, that's where we're going to finish.' — Townsend when asked if Scotland deserved better than fourth. Who's next? New Zealand Maori in Whangarei, July 5 Italy Finished: 5th The debrief: A step back from a year ago when it won twice and drew with France. Italy managed again to avoid the wooden spoon but its only win was at home against Warren Gatland's Wales, before Wales was revived by new coach Matt Sherratt. Up to that point, Italy was doing well, including a late rally at Murrayfield. But then the art of tackling was forgotten. Italy conceded 18 tries to France and England and salvaged some pride only by producing its best performance in the last round and threatening to upset Ireland at home. Best player: Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex. The best midfield in the competition, again. Quote: 'We know we can play at a level very close to that of the best in the world. The question arises naturally: Why can't we do what we offered today against France? Or against England? Or throughout the Six Nations?' — winger Ange Capuozzo Who's next? South Africa at Pretoria, July 5 Wales Finished: 6th The debrief: The losing streak stands at 17, the longest by a tier one national team in the professional era. It's been more than 520 days since Wales' last win. The Welsh appeared to have hit rock bottom in the loss at Italy that prompted Warren Gatland's exit. Matt Sherratt agreed to step in, and Wales responded with enough verve and fight to encourage hope of turning over a wary England. But despite willing endeavor, England put on an historic 68 points. Sherratt confirmed he's going back to Cardiff club. The Welsh Rugby Union is still seeking a permanent coach but it also has to be worried about its money-maker: home tests. New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina are lined up in November but fans won't be going if the WRU doesn't offer transparent plans on fixing its deep-rooted problems. Best player: Jac Morgan. The Sergio Parisse of Wales. Quote: 'I'm gutted that I couldn't help them get a win. They deserve one. They honestly do. I'm disappointed I couldn't get some smiles on faces in that dressing room.' — Sherratt Who's next? Japan at Kitakyushu, July 5 ___ AP rugby:
