Dirty, very dirty month of November for Matthieu Jalibert. For his return to competition with Union Bordeaux-Bègles, the flyhalf could not stay more than 10 minutes on the field against RC Vannes in the match counting for the 10th day of Top 14. Shunned by Fabien Galthié during this autumn tour, he was injured following contact with English international pillar Mako Vunipola.
After a volley save from his teammate Mateo Garcia in the 10th minute of play, Matthieu Jalibert turned towards his bench, on the other side of the field, limping low. To his staff, he signaled that he wanted to go out, removing his mouthguard. As the Frenchman was about to kick over the top, in the second minute of play, the Vannes pillar hit him in the air, involuntarily.
An outing which the French international would have done well without, not retained by the staff of the French XV for the recent meetings against New Zealand and Argentina. On the bench during the first match against Japan, Jalibert was taken off the scoresheet in favor of Thomas Ramos, lined up as a hinge next to Antoine Dupont.
Although a starter a year ago during the World Cup, Jalibert resigned himself to following the victories of the Blues from his home in Bordeaux, without being able to take part in the matches. Touched by this decision, it was he who asked to return to Gironde. His trainer Yannick Bru expressed his unwavering confidence in him by starting him at Vannes. Without him, UBB lost its bearings and was trailing 29-0 after half an hour of play. When it doesn’t work…
