Matthieu Jalibert and Romain Ntamack rivalry, Digi Mart USA News: The rivalry between Matthieu Jalibert and Romain Ntamack is one of the most recurring debates in French rugby. For several years, the two players have regularly been pitted against each other for the fly-half position with the France XV, a competition that fuels discussion among supporters, observers and the media.
Asked about the rivalry, the Union Bordeaux-Bègles player shared his view of a situation he has known since his first years in the national team. While Fabien Galthié regularly criticizes the controversies surrounding his two fly-halves, Jalibert prefers to step back.
For the Bordeaux player, the media opposition is not new and is largely explained by the importance of the number 10 position in French rugby.
“With Romain, it’s a story that has lasted since we were 18,” Jalibert told Midi Olympique. “From the France youth teams, we were compared and set against each other.
We are used to this treatment.” The situation continued over the years, particularly as the two players began to establish themselves at their respective clubs, and their competition gained added weight through their shared ambitions with the national team.
Jalibert argues that the scale of the debate is also explained by the particular place the fly-half holds in French rugby. The position, central to attacking play, traditionally concentrates much of the expectations and criticism.
“It’s even more pronounced because the France fly-half position has always been the most exposed, the most commented on and the most subject to popular pressure,” he said.
Added to this exposure is the sporting rivalry between their clubs. Jalibert plays for Union Bordeaux-Bègles, while Ntamack wears the colors of Stade Toulousain.
Both teams are accustomed to contesting major titles, which helps keep comparisons between the two playmakers alive. “Add to that the fact that we play for two of the biggest clubs in the league competing for titles, and you have the perfect ingredient to fuel the media storyline,” Jalibert said.
Despite the ongoing discussion about the hierarchy of France’s fly-halves, Jalibert does not wish to sustain the opposition. He instead considers the presence of two players at this level a richness for French rugby and invites observers to view the competition differently.
“But people should rather rejoice and appreciate the luck of having two fly-halves of this level in the same country, when the France XV has searched for its number 10 for more than a decade.”
