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'He takes people for idiots' - Fabien Galthie slammed on French TV
By Ian Cameron
Fabien Galthie has been slammed on French television after a press conference given this week in which he addressed France’s exit from the Rugby World Cup.
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Former France internationals Cédric Heymans and Richard Dourthe voiced strong criticism on Canal+ against the content of the mid-week press conference delivered by Galthie, 24 days after France’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final loss to the Boks.
It was Galthie’s first public appearance since the defeat and Heymans and Dourthe expressed frustration at what they perceived as a lack of comprehensive analysis regarding Les Bleus’ shortcomings in the tournament.
The pair, known for their outspoken takes, highlighted the absence of detailed insights into the reasons behind the team’s World Cup failure, saying Galthie was ‘eaten’ by Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus.
“This episode shouldn’t make us laugh,” said Dourthe. “I think Fabien Galthié takes people for idiots. Everyone loves him, it’s perfect but they elude all the points that really interest us: why did we lose?
“Why were there so many injured? He smokes everyone with his data and I don’t think that’s what it means, respecting people who like rugby.
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“Those who don’t follow rugby appreciate Fabien Galthié, because he has a good image, he knows how to speak, he is a professor of English philosophy… There are results that we cannot take away but in the end we did everything possible to be world champion. At the end we are as good as Fiji, Wales and we are a little better than Romania, Japan or Scotland.”
Heymans also delivered a few shots into the solar plexus of Galthie, who up until now has had a relatively easy ride in the French press.
“He doesn’t talk about subjects that raise questions,” said Heymans. “I don’t want to say that he is smoking us but it’s like the Raymond Devos sketch, “Speak to say nothing”.
“It’s not harsh but why don’t we have any questioning? The result is that we lose in the quarter-final by one point. We have no feedback on its management.
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“Is there any questioning of his planning? What is the conclusion then if he does not spare himself from questioning himself since he does not want to change anything? When we lose a quarter-final by one point, by five points or ten points, it’s not the same, because it means that we are overwhelmed. One point, we can talk about strategy, the bench, replacement. About how to manage your half-time. We don’t know that.”
Dourthe concluded with a particularly brutal assessment of Gatlhie’s strategic failure.
“Strategically and tactically, he was eaten by Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber because they planned everything that happened. They brought in Kwagga Smith, Handré Pollard to either manage the match or slow down the game… And that’s what happened, we got eaten!”
10 bucks says France has a new coach before 2027.
Not the coaches fault. The Springboks play differently when they are ahead. When they need points they change their game and score them until they are ahead. Remember they scored 4 tries to 3. This was a fabulous match… no team on the planet would have beat the French team on that night. This group of Springboks were just the one team that could do it and they did.
English rugby have Andy Goode and French rugby have Richard Dourthe
Funny how after all this time people still assume that the charged down kick would’ve gone over had it not been charged down.
Without a charged down conversion that would have been a win for France. Paper thin margins in high pressure games that would have taught players and coaches quite a lot. Galthie taking France forwards will be akin to Henry taking the ABs from ‘07 to ‘11, they will learn and move forwards stronger. Pundits get paid to talk and create headlines. As an ABs fan, Jeff Wilson was a brilliant player, but he's a crap pundit, probably very similar with these French boys.
Charge down was in the 23rd minute, i’d would not have won the French the game had it gone over. There was another 60 minutes left they could have utilized to their advantage and it did not happen
Somebody wants attention, apparently.
What a storm in a teacup. The French lost by one point, they could have won the game. So let’s turn on the coach, that has delivered the first grand slam in a million years.
Galthié didn’t get eaten by Erasmus&Nienaber, he got narrowly edged. He’s put the French team on the map again, made them relevant again, and turned them into the feared juggernaut they once used to be. They mopped the floor with the ABs, became the first team ever to beat them in pool stages, and no one saw that as a shock. That’s how good Galthié’s France are.
This criticism is frivolous, ill-intended, and self-defeating. Galthié is the best man for the job by an unhealthy margin. And I’m not even a French fan, that’s how stupid this is.
Exactly - they lost by 1 point. Why didn’t they win by 10 points? Why were they in the position where it came down to 1 point? They were ranked above SA and playing at home…the French have a right to question his tactics.
Was a fabulous game
French doing what the French do best, criticising, giving moral to others and shooting themselves in the foot. Let’s see how long it takes to see Kolisi get booed in stadiums.
Never estimate the French ability to turn on themselves…that said, it looked like the French ran out of gas a bit and couldn’t break the RSA defensive line in the final minutes
Is it not legitimate criticism? The sheer amount of line breaks the French had but they barely converted. SA got their breaks and scored every time. France have always had a short light back 3 and SA scored from high balls. What about the amount of injuries in the lead up? Willemse, Marchand & Danty…there needs to be answers
Pretty harsh I’d say!…margin between victory parades and receiving scathing criticism is really paper thin.
one point in a game that could have gone either way. These old French players have been gleefully waiting to pounce on Galthie because he has had a brilliant run, and will do so again. In the end, both of them, who were average test players, will be long forgotten and Galthie will retire with the best French coaching record in their history. Klaar gepraat.