The little sentence of Fabien Galthié at the end of the historic feat of the Blues Tuesday in Melbourne did not have the echo he claimed. “
We say that we play like we train and that we train like we live.
" Clear ? Valorous and deserving teams are those made up of players who appreciate and respect each other. And respect the instructions of their staff. Nothing really new. But the coach added a last sentence to his sentence. “
This team defends as it lives.
"And here we are familiar with the secret of great teams. Those where the players are ready to sacrifice themselves for each other, to give everything for the collective, to forget their ego to serve a higher cause.
During the endless decade of scarcity - from the final of the 2011 World Cup to the 2019 Tournament wholesale - the various coaches hoped to arouse this state of mind, to find these values which allowed the most beautiful epics of the XV of France.
In vain.
The players repeated without conviction that they lived well, that they got along but, in fact, it was not true.
Nothing on the ground to demonstrate it.
And anecdotes, off, by the dozen, telling the jealousy, the quarrels, the I-don't care of some.
More and more numerous over the failures, routs soon.
Everyone for his apple and the nettle jersey.
Read also: How the XV of France built his feat against Australia
Fabien Galthié's first merit - and he is not just one - was, with the support of his manager Raphaël Ibanez and selected members of his staff, to demand a return to the word given, to the gift of self, to solidarity. Not empty words, no. But a validated life pact, promised by everyone. The blue jersey is an honor that doesn't get too dirty. And whoever does not respect the Rooster embroidered on his chest, who will forget that he is scrapping for the pride of educators, his relatives, supporters, for the honor of the nation, has nothing to do in the ranks of this XV of France. "
At the slightest mistake, a taxi will wait at the Marcoussis gate
," Galthié had imaged. A deviation and the culprit will be asked to pack his bags immediately.
These Blues ignore the prevailing selfishness that plagues society a little more every day
It could only have been wishful thinking, meaningless words once again.
But the staff quickly showed that they were not laughing, not compromising.
And he stumbled upon a new generation of players who hears these obligations, understands them and shares them.
Whether it is the few former survivors - Charles Ollivon, Bernard Le Roux… - but also, and this is what makes all the difference, the new ones.
Whether it is players with an atypical career mobilized late by Galthié (Haouas, Bouthier, Willemse and many others) or these young talents nourished by this requirement from the youth teams, in particular the French team of under 20 years old, twice world champion (2018 and 2019).
Everyone, from the potential incumbent to the third choice, adhered to this message. Have ignored the ambient egoism that invades and plagues society a little more every day to reconnect with the values of rugby. Values that small minds, who now think they are the law on social networks, do not cease to mock. Wrongly, the XV of France has just made once again the brilliant demonstration. These words, these attitudes are out of fashion and disturb those, more and more numerous, who claim their eradication in favor of their new "values": individualism, separatism, disobedience, contempt. Everyone for himself and too bad for the others. Nothing to do with the community. Its narrow claim, its little comfort, have much more importance.
For bringing essential concepts up to date, to demonstrate that the collective is always stronger than the individual - in response to the whims of spoiled children who have come back in force within another French team in recent weeks -, to finally return all their pride to their supporters, to have recalled the obvious - in rugby, to win, you must first love yourself - Fabien Galthié, his staff and his players will never be thanked enough.
