France’s Jalibert back at flyhalf for England clash

Paris - Matthieu Jalibert will start at flyhalf for France against England in the Six Nations on Saturday in place of the suspended Romain Ntamack, head coach Fabien Galthie said on Thursday as he made two changes from the team that beat Wales in the opening game.

Jalibert asked to be sent back to his Bordeaux club when he found out he was second in the pecking order at flyhalf during last November’s autumn series but Galthie did not hold it against the 26-year-old.

“There is no power struggle with the player. The power struggle is on the field, for us,” Galthie told reporters ahead of the Twickenham clash.

“When you make decisions you work on a daily basis on the players’ form and the possible pairings. When we saw Ntamack picked up a red card we started to work with the staff right away and Matthieu Jalibert was the obvious choice. He was always eligible.

“We felt he needed some air to regenerate. Our proposal was for him to get out of this closed-door environment to regenerate but we stayed in contact with him and his club.”

Ntamack picked up a yellow card for a shoulder-to-head tackle on Ben Thomas late in France’s 43-0 drubbing of Wales in their opening Six Nations fixture on Friday, which was upgraded to a red card after a review.

The disciplinary committee determined that the mid-range entry point of six weeks/matches was appropriate but reduced it to three after the player accepted he committed an act of foul play, along with Ntamack’s exemplary disciplinary record.

Damian Penaud, who missed the Wales game with a toe injury, will start on the wing, making his return after almost a year out through injuries and illness.

Penaud has scored 36 tries for Les Bleus and is just two shy of Serge Blanco’s record.

While he could have at least matched the mark against Wales as France ran in seven tries, it might be a tougher challenge against England.

“They will be ferocious,” Galthie warned. “Even if their results are not as good as they expected, they are often close to winning.” 

Team: Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Pierre-Louis Barassi, Yoram Moefana, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Dupont (capt), Gregory Alldritt, Paul Boudehent, Francois Cros, Emmanuel Meafou, Alexandre Roumat, Uini Atonio, Peato Mauvaka, Jean-Baptiste Gros

Replacements: Julien Marchand, Cyril Baille, Georges-Henri Colombe, Hugo Auradou, Mickael Guillard, Oscar Jegou, Nolann Le Garrec, Emilien Gailleton

Reuters