Once upon a time, Matthieu Jalibert made his debut for France. He played alongside Antoine Dupont at the Stade de France on that February day in 2018. Ireland players and supporters have fond memories of the occasion, especially one of Andy Farrell’s current coaching cadre, Johnny Sexton.
Sexton, Ireland’s captain, outhalf and, briefly, Jalibert’s counterpart that day, kicked a brilliant long-range drop goal after 41 phases in a nerve-shredding denouement, as they’d say locally, to nudge the visitors to a 15-13 victory. Ireland, then under head coach Joe Schmidt, went on to win the Grand Slam.
The television footage, a close-up of the bruised and bloodstained facial features of French captain and hooker Guilhem Guirado – sitting helpless in the stands following his tour of duty, while silently exhorting his teammates to hold out – underlined the tension of the game’s last rites.
The final image, when Sexton’s drop kick sailed between the uprights, was arguably the most poignant; Guirado’s head slipped into his hands, summing up the French anguish.
For Jalibert and Dupont, the pain was tangible and less abstract. Bordeaux outhalf Jalibert tore his ACL early in the game while his halfback partner also sustained a knee injury that day. This time last year, Dupont suffered an ACL tear against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.
The French halfbacks have played fitfully since. When Romain Ntamack was ruled out of the 2023 World Cup in France, Jalibert played the opening match – a victory over New Zealand – and three other games in the tournament.
On Thursday night at the Stade de France, it will be only the second time since the World Cup that the Dupont/Jalibert axis has started a game for the national side. The other occasion was in last season’s Six Nations against England at Twickenham, a game France lost 26-25. That defeat ultimately denied the French a Grand Slam, but not the title.
French head coach Fabien Galthié’s preferred halfback combination when everyone is fit and healthy is the Toulouse duo of Dupont and Ntamack. Their symbiotic understanding from club level has translated to the Test arena, with their respective role parameters clearly defined.
France head coach Fabien Galthié speaks to Matthieu Jalibert after France’s victory against Australia at Stade de France, Paris, in 2023. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
Dupont has carte blanche to play the game as he finds it. The scrumhalf is never self-indulgent to a point that might compromise the team dynamic.
Ntamack provides a perfect foil. His game management is first class, especially when the requirement is to kick or to play to shape further afield. He possesses great individual qualities too, but is happy to be understated when Dupont is in his pomp.
When Dupont was sidelined with the ACL injury, Bordeaux scrumhalf Maxime Lucu – Jalibert’s halfback partner at club level – was a habitual replacement for the French captain. The Bordeaux pair have a polar-opposite playing relationship when weighed against that of their Toulouse counterparts.
Lucu plays the Ntamack role. The scrumhalf kicks superbly and is an astute reader of the game, but he’s happy to be a facilitator. Jalibert is a fearsome attacking prospect as an individual, possessing the pace, footwork and vision to slip through defensive lines. There are few better broken-field running outhalves and he is a threat when lurking in the backfield on opposition ball, especially from poorly-directed kicks.
France vs Ireland – Six Nations preview
Against Ireland, Galthié will be hoping his lavishly gifted halfbacks gel. The French coach has spent most of the time since announcing the squad denying that he harbours any misgivings about Jalibert or his ability to harmonise styles with Dupont.
Some of it dates to an incident when the outhalf walked out of Marcoussis, the French training base on the outskirts of Paris, after being left out of a matchday 23 for a Test against New Zealand in November, 2024. There have been reports in the past that Dupont and Jalibert didn’t get on. All three principals have spent most of their prematch media duties scotching any suggestion of rancour. The world and its mother has been told they have a deep respect for each other.
It’s almost possible to hear Galthié sigh in the following words. “I am expecting them to spark the players around them, to be the fulcrum of our offensive and defensive play. I am anticipating them repeating what I have seen them do in training; that they bring their energy, their talent, their happiness to be with us. No more than that.”
And that is the French hope. They don’t need to love each other – sport is littered with teammates that at best tolerate one another – just find a way that brings out the best in the team. Ireland understand that focusing unduly on one is a fool’s errand. They are potential match winners in their own right and neither will be looking to dumb that down.