‘He knows my point of view’ – France star who withdrew from All Blacks clash breaks silence on rumoured Fabien Galthie rift

France fly-half Matthieu Jalibert insists that he still wants to play for his country despite leaving the squad ahead of their game with the All Blacks.

The playmaker missed out on the 23 but was named among the reserves – players who remain in camp in case there is an injury.

Jalibert could have therefore still featured for France against New Zealand by staying with the team, but he refused and instead opted to return to Bordeaux-Begles.

The fly-half has now revealed that he had a conversation with Fabien Galthie and decided to head back to his club after an offer from Les Bleus, but did not reveal the contents of that discussion.

‘The best option for everyone’

“It was a complicated period, not easy to manage, but that’s part of high-level sport. That’s how it is, not everything can always go in the right direction,” he told reporters.

“I expressed things to Fabien (Galthié) about a certain malaise that I had and he offered me to take a break and return to Bordeaux, which I accepted.

“I haven’t distanced myself from the French team, however, and if they call on me, I’ll take it with the greatest pleasure.

“I think we talk a lot about well-being and mental health, you have to know how to say stop when there’s too much. It was the best option for me, and for everyone.”

France star ‘refuses’ to feature against the All Blacks as Fabien Galthie addresses shock revelation

There have been suggestions of a falling out between Jalibert and Galthie, but the fly-half rejected that notion and instead stated that the reason for his “malaise” are not just France-related.

“A lot of things, not necessarily just with France. There are things that made me not feel good. I don’t want to add to it and get into controversy,” he said.

“What’s important is that Fabien knows my point of view. We talked for a long time. I told him what I felt, I had things on my heart since the World Cup.

“He heard and offered me this option that I accepted. So there is no problem with Fabien and in my mind, I remain a player of the French team and I hope to be present in the next squad.”

Fly-half battle

The battle for the French number 10 jersey has generally been between Romain Ntamack and Jalibert, but Thomas Ramos has recently entered the equation.

Ramos took the reins at the end of the Six Nations and, with Ntamack out of the Autumn Nations Series, Galthie once again preferred the Toulouse star.

That call inevitably disappointed Jalibert, who faced criticism for his decision to leave the France squad and head back to Bordeaux.

“Sometimes it’s heavy. I always feel like people are trying to make me look bad. I know I haven’t always done well, but I’ve always been honest and straight-laced,” he said.

“I can look at myself in the mirror and that’s the most important thing to me. Sometimes it’s hard for my family to hear all these people giving their opinions without knowing me personally.

“Afterwards, I know that it’s part of the game of media exposure. I’ve learned to deal with it.”

Jalibert ultimately hopes that this saga can benefit him going forward as he seeks to fulfil his club and international ambitions.

“We’ll see in the future, but I rather have the feeling that it hardens me and makes me a little better as a person and as a man,” he said.

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