Six Nations: Older, fitter, stronger, Matthieu Jalibert’s time has come

But for a heavy collision with Bundee Aki less than half an hour into his Test debut against Ireland this week three years ago (an event and a match somewhat overshadowed by that drop goal), Matthieu Jalibert might now be basking in the glow that has surrounded Romain Ntamack in much of the intervening time.

It’s an ill wind and all that. Now, with Ntamack sidelined by the broken jaw he suffered playing for Toulouse against Union Bordeaux Bègles and Jalibert over Christmas, three years on the latter’s time has come.

Now 22 and no longer the callow teenager he was when afforded his debut against Ireland after just 15 games for Bordeaux, Jalibert will not only start France’s 2021 Six Nations title bid in Rome on Saturday, but will do so older, stronger mentally and physically, and in prime form.

After a failed attempt to make a comeback later that season and a delayed operation on the knee damaged against Ireland (further complications ensued), Jalibert missed almost a season and a half of rugby.

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Strong form for Bordeaux Bègles earned him a recall as understudy to Ntamack in last year’s Six Nations, but, following bit parts against England, Italy and Wales, he replaced a concussed Ntamack after eight minutes in Murrayfield and did not play well.

Not included in the rescheduled game against Ireland, Jalibert finally started his first game since that unfortunate debut against Ireland in the Autumn Nations Cup game against Scotland, and backed it up against Italy and especially England in the final at Twickenham.

The dummy pass, step inside Owen Farrell, acceleration and fend of Jamie George were typically Jalibert and somehow very French. There are very few outhalves in the game who could do that.

Stand-out talent

He’s always been a stand-out talent. Initially from the western suburbs of Paris where his father, who served in the army, was then stationed, the Jaliberts then settled in a suburb outside Bordeaux. His father was also an outhalf, at a modest level, but Jalibert began to shine in the in the UBB underage teams as a teenager and was understudy to Ntamack at the 2017 Under-20 World Championships.

Not that things always ran smoothly for Jalibert at Bordeaux Bègles. He became a favoured son of Rory Teague during his unpopular and brief reign post Jacques Brunel, but all seems happily aligned under Christophe Urios, and Jalibert’s game has flourished.

Jalibert, rather bravely perhaps, freely admits to having the aforementioned Farrell as a role model and has regularly studied videos of the English outhalf. In fact, he has even named his beagle Owen.

Coming up against Farrell at Twickenham appears to have been a turning point. Although never seemingly short of confidence, most observers sense a new-found maturity in his game. Jalibert concurs.

“The Fall Cup simply gave me the opportunity to have playing time at the best world level,” he tells his local paper Sud Ouest on Wednesday. “I had the opportunity to express myself in the face of what is best. Me too, I feel like I have crossed a milestone in my game, in my maturity. I try to transcribe it when I return to the club.”

He talks of the faster pace of Test rugby, and learning to vary his depth accordingly. With his acceleration, vision, ability to take the ball to the line, he has the vision and passing range to play all options, be it to pass inside, wide or a step and an offload. Along with a new golden generation of young French outhalves, Jalibert has been slicing and dicing opponents in the Top 14 this season, and especially since that Twickenham final. He’s instinctive, composed and has also become a very good goalkicker.

Unbeaten

Since that defeat in Toulouse, UBB are unbeaten in five games, rising to fourth in the Top 14. Jalibert scored 20 points, including a try, in both the 31-18 win over Toulon and again in the 33-32 win away to Racing a fortnight ago at La Défense Arena.

“He’s very good and he’s rated very highly over here in France,” says Simon Zebo, who was on the bench that night. “He’s just got the full attacking package. He has a brilliant passing game off left or right, flat at the line, kind of similar to Finn [Russell].

“He’s got really good wheels. They leave him in the back field quite a lot for counter-attack. Normally when 10s are in the backfield it’s just to catch and put up a bomb for the full-back to chase, but they use him as a counter-attacking weapon. So he has the chip threat, the run threat, his footwork is excellent. He seems to be the whole package. He’s still very young. He’s ripping up the Top 14, so it’s very exciting times for France.

“Ntamack is probably that little bit more mature in terms of game management at international level, but in terms of potential he’s right up there and capable of bringing something different to that French team.”

Indeed, it’s a testimony to Jalibert’s own running threat that amongst his 514 points in 54 games for Bordeaux-Bègles are 15 tries, which is quite a strike rate for an outhalf.

Jalibert could not only be good for Les Bleus, but for the championship as well. The game needs players like him.