Fabien Galthié said Marcus Smith “carries genius with him” on Thursday in high praise for the England playmaker, adding: “He’s a peerless attacker; he can change a match with one run, one pass, one kick.”
The France head coach had been asked about the uncertainty over where on the pitch the 25-year-old would be lining up on Saturday – which would be resolved a few hours later, as England announced Smith would shift to full-back while his namesake Fin took up the vacant fly-half spot.
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The decision was of little concern to the France camp, in any case, Galthié said. “It won’t have an impact on how we prepare for the match, or on our strategic decisions.”
His own No 10 dilemma was the major talking point of the week in the French camp, with Romain Ntamack’s three-week suspension having been announced on Wednesday. The Toulouse man’s absence this weekend has opened the door to Matthieu Jalibert’s first involvement in a matchday squad since leaving Marcoussis midway through the autumn internationals.
In November, Galthié had been somewhat evasive over the Bordeaux fly-half’s international future, saying: “He’ll continue to play for France, if he wants it.” At Thursday morning’s squad announcement, though, the former scrum-half dismissed any feelings of resentment against Jalibert: “There’s no power struggle. The only power struggle should be with our opponents, not with our own players.
“We’d had a discussion which some wanted to portray as spectacular, as controversial. But that’s not the case, there was no controversy for us, it was simply a choice that we made. It was important for us to stay in contact, and for the player not to lose himself, to define his path, his priorities, his method. Matthieu has put in the work to make himself available for selection.”
There was scarcely any suspense in this week’s decision, given that Jalibert had worn a starter’s bib in this week’s training sessions. The head coach explained that discussions on a replacement began immediately after the Wales match. “We very quickly found the answer to the question”, Galthié said of the “obvious and logical” choice of picking the man who has already deputised for Ntamack in the 2021 Six Nations and 2023 World Cup.
Also making his return for Le Crunch is Damian Penaud, who last played for France 11 months ago against England and missed the Wales match with a toe injury. The Bordeaux-Bègles winger scored the last of his 36 tries for France over a year ago, and would match Serge Blanco’s all-time record with a double on Saturday. Galthié is keen to see the 28-year-old, who has scored nine tries in his last two Champions Cup outings, take to the international stage again: “He must be hungry, very hungry.”
The calf knock which prompted Antoine Dupont’s early exit from last Friday’s opener will have been of little consequence, with the captain set to start alongside Jalibert for the first time since the World Cup. In his press conference, Galthié spoke of the input that the captain and the six “leaders” of the squad provide on all aspects of the France set-up – “He fully plays out his role as captain, and he has my ear”.
As France return to Twickenham two years on from their 53-10 demolition job, Galthié is well aware that his side face an entirely different challenge as they look to cement their status as grand slam favourites: “We’re expecting a big match, with a lot of appetite and determination.” Despite the cross-channel rivals’ recent poor run of results, he insists that they are “one of the best teams in the world”.
Beyond Saturday’s match, Galthié appears to see the current iteration of the XV de la Rose, as the England team are known in France, as potential long-term rivals for continental supremacy: “They’ve reigned over European rugby in the past, even over world rugby, and they want to do so again.”
