The coach of the XV of France Fabien Galthié evaluated Sunday at “ten” the number of new players likely to be selected by the World Cup (September 8 – October 28, 2023), organized in France, during a interview on Canal Plus.
“We are already at 67 (since taking office at the end of 2019, editor’s note). There are still, I think, a dozen players who will return, I see about 20% possibility of evolution, of turn -over “, explained Galthié in the show Canal Rugby Club.
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The coach cited nine players, first naming the Toulouse winger Mathis Lebel who “knocked on the door” but that the management “could not take” so far.
Other names mentioned include winger Donovan Taofifenua (Racing 92), pillars Thierry Paiva (Bordeaux-Bègles) and Reda Wardi (La Rochelle), scrum-half Maxime Lucu (Bordeaux-Bègles) as well as four second-placed players. or third row, Thibault Flament (Toulouse), Florian Verhaeghe (Montpellier), Thomas Lavault (La Rochelle) and Florent Vanverberghe (Castres).
“Every year we have a UFO”
Vanverberghe had been selected as a substitute for the first of the Blues’ three games against the Wallabies in early July on the tour in Australia, but had injured a hip in training. Lucu should have made the trip to the Antipodes but he had declared a package on injury.
As tenth player, Galthié sees well arriving “a UFO” like the back of Perpignan, Melvyn Jaminet, which was one of the great satisfactions of the tour in Australia, whereas he had not played only one match in Top 14.
“Every year we have a UFO. We had Momo Haouas, Gabin Villière, then Melvyn Jaminet”, insisted the coach of the XV of France.
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