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Tournée des Bleus en Nouvelle-Zélande : « Ils sont mécontents ? Je suis d'accord avec eux », reconnaît Galthié

TJ Perenara (Nouvelle-Zélande) dirige le haka pendant le match du Rugby Championship entre les All Blacks de Nouvelle-Zélande et l'Argentine à l'Eden Park le 17 août 2024 à Auckland, Nouvelle-Zélande. (Photo par Dave Rowland/Getty Images)

Alors que se profile le 64e match France – Nouvelle-Zélande samedi 16 novembre à Saint-Denis, la perspective d’une tournée low-cost en juillet 2025 en Nouvelle-Zélande alimente à nouveau les discussions.

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Lorsque le sélectionneur Fabien Galthié avait annoncé au cours de l’été que la France ne pourraient plus voyager avec ses premiums du fait des phases finales du Top 14, entre autres, le battement d’aile du papillon en France avait créé un séisme en Nouvelle-Zélande.

On entendait alors : Antoine Dupont ne sera jamais le meilleur joueur du monde s’il ne vient pas au moins une fois jouer en Nouvelle-Zélande (ce qu’il n’a jamais fait encore).

La fédération néo-zélandaise de rugby compte dessus pour se refaire

La fédération du bout du monde avait râlé que les All Blacks méritaient mieux qu’une équipe de France bis, même si le staff tricolore compte sur ces tournées – comme celle en Amérique du Sud en juillet 2024 – pour gonfler ses effectifs et ajouter de la profondeur. En d’autres termes, les joueurs des tournées ont toutes les chances d’être les premiums de demain.

Sauf que demain c’est demain et que New Zealand Rugby, en délicatesse financière, comptait sur les trois matchs prévus contre la France en juillet 2025 pour remettre un peu de cash dans des caisses bien vides. Trois matchs sont prévus : les 5, 12 et 19 juillet 2025.

La situation semble ne satisfaire personne. « Ils sont tristes ? Mécontents ? Je suis d’accord avec eux », affirme Fabien Galthié dans les colonnes de l’Équipe. Lui aussi regrette cette situation, mais se présente comme victime d’un calendrier déjà trop chargé.

Un calendrier surchargé

Alors que World Rugby préconise un maximum de six matchs consécutifs avant un repos, la réalité du calendrier pousse les joueurs à enchaîner une trentaine voire quarante matchs par saison (entre fin août et juillet).

Avec les exigences du Tournoi des Six Nations, des phases finales de Coupe d’Europe et de Top 14, ainsi que des tests internationaux, les joueurs sont souvent sollicités sans répit, dépassant largement les recommandations.

Cette surcharge expose les athlètes à des risques de blessures, rendant difficile leur gestion et menaçant leur santé à long terme.

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« Comment voulez-vous que je rajoute pour ces garçons un mois de compétition en juillet, trois matchs certes fabuleux mais d’une intensité maximale ? On se rapprocherait des quarante matchs, c’est pas possible. Nous, on avait tablé sur trente-cinq, ce qui est déjà énorme », s’emporte Fabien Galthié.

Et les British & Irish Lions, alors ?

Comment se fait-il alors que Irlandais et Britanniques parviennent à mobiliser leurs meilleurs éléments dans une tournée des British & Irish Lions telle qu’elle est prévue en juillet en Australie ?

Galthié calcule : « Eux, ils peuvent le faire. Vous savez les Championnats qu’ils ont ? Ils ont dix équipes en Premiership ; ça fait huit journées de moins que nous, deux mois de compétition en moins. »

Bref, le problème semble insoluble. « Moi je rêve d’emmener notre meilleure équipe en Nouvelle-Zélande. Mais ça voudrait dire que les clubs seraient prêts à ne pas revoir leurs meilleurs joueurs en septembre, ni en octobre. C’est très dur pour les clubs, qui les payent », reconnaît le sélectionneur, dans l’impasse.

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O
OJohn 29 minutes ago
Will Joe Schmidt provide the Christmas gift Australian fans crave?

Schmidt has shown himself to be a very poor selector and tactician. He can coach the basics, which in reality is all he is doing and all the Wallabies needed to recover from Eddie Jones' Tah based sabotage, but that's about it. There is nothing exciting or impressive about it. He's basically bludging off some of the extraordinary talent Australia possesses. Even while he is denying some Australian players the opportunity they deserve.


Once upon a time, certain muses thought Cheika's and McKenzie's 50% win ratio was a disgrace and made them not fit to be a Wallaby coach ...........

Well here we are with Schmidt at 46% and which will be under 40% after the Lions tour.


Tupou will have seen the video of Schmidt calling him a f.... idiot after his pass after his fantastic break and he and the other players will now know who they are really dealing with. They will be swapping notes with Irish players who played under Schmidt.


Schmidt should stay in NZ and honour his word to his family to spend more time looking after his disdavantaged son. Real Australians don't want a kiwi coach for the Wallabies and we don't need one, no matter how many non Australians manically insist we must not have an Australian coach.


No doubt because they are s.... scared of what this Wallaby team could become with a fair dinkum passionate Australian coach. Excluding of course Cheika and Jones who were happy to sacrifice the Wallabies for some Tah pets. Kind of like Schmidt is compliantly doing with Jake Gordon and Ben Donaldson who wouldn't even be in the top 5 in their position in Australia.


It's a pity there are not more kiwis like Wayne Smith, who at least had the integrity to say he refused to coach against NZ.


And McReight is showing just what a complete joke Michael Hooper was, who was lauded by everybody round the world except by Australians, bar the Tahs of course.


We are bit sick of the con job other countries try to pull on Australia, to keep us down. Bring on a real Australian coach we can believe in and support.

9 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
'Welsh regional rugby has failed conclusively and there is no way back'

Thanks for sharing the little juicy news you don't get on sites like this!


I think defenses are certainly better constructed to deal with it, but did you feel that it had tried to evolve with the new defense? Perhaps that's too difficult without the source of that IP, Lancaster, available? Case in point NZ succesfully nullifying it I thought at the time, but now I think looking back to your game v SA, and it's more direct and collision based approached, I wonder if you really were trying to play in that quarter final like you did against NZ in 21/22. Had the transition away already started?


IDK it might just be rose tinted glasses but without watching Ireland game by game they just now longer have the timing or speed (sorry if I'm repeating stuff that you're replying to I can't remember what I wrote) in how they move the ball sideways that I liked. I remember them moving the ball so fast to the other side of the field, that was flooded with loosies, that they could simply overwhelm with numbers and plays smart enough to pass to the one unmarked player.


I saw some nice prescribed 'plays' against SA that require a similar sort of execution but they were just different and less frequent imo. I still feel the level of play during that good run should be good enough to beat even defences that have worked it out. Look I was relieved that it wasn't coming out against us in France tbh, and I may just not be appreciating how we developed a D to fully snuffle it out, but even if that's the case I still think Ireland would be doing very well to accept that it's good enough to be just out of reach against sides like NZ. Certainly, and this is even before the NZ game last month and you having beaten SA, that what Farrell is producing is not going to be good enough to even be close to the NZ and SA.


You can't knock him for trying of course, it's just with a bit of regret here. Yes, I agree fully with that last paragraph, I'm not just talking this Autumn series mind you. What I ultimately thought the difference was, was just a lack of prep in the same areas they used to prep, and that might mostly be with the Leinster contingent, in that team. Thats not a idea bsed on a change of coach there, just decision by coachs that, yep, weve reach maximum precision with the team moving the ball, lets work on something else. Not that they obviously read this sort of thing but thats the main message ive been trying to implore on your team, that your success was down to this one facet (speaking with a perspective from a country who's whole success has been a DNA of continous link based team rugby) of play and you need to try and get back to it.

175 Go to comments
A
AM 2 hours ago
Will Joe Schmidt provide the Christmas gift Australian fans crave?

It would be better for Schmidt to go. He is a good tactician but he lacks the strategic sense of someone like Rassie. The blueprint is there. Select from OS clubs, form good relationships with OS clubs to ensure players are available and start the season later in Australia to be more aligned with Europe.


The money and standard of coaching is much higher in France, the URC and the Prem so utilise them.


The business model question has been decided and SA has shown selecting OS wins.


Also by not selecting OS players Schmidt is going to grind to dust key guys like Bell. Cf Rassie using more than 50 players in his squad.


He has a tendency to select undersized players as well eg Amatesero who may well leave for France due to Schmidts poor selection like Meafou who is playing so well for France.


The scrum is the worst element yet Schmidt didn’t select Sio or Ainsley both playing well in England and France. He’s also not taken up development and gotten under utilised guys like Pone over to France to get better coaching. Hooker you have Latu and Uelese fit again. Backs you have Kerevi, Hodge, Perese and Kerr Barlow. Locks you have guys like Philip and Arnold.


Would all of these guys be first choice. No but you keep them in the squad for injuries and so that you don’t kill your first choice guys.


Get Jacques Nienaber or someone like that who understands strategic elements of the game better.

9 Go to comments
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