mens
international
Bok-beating France have recalled scrum-half Matthieu Jalibert to their 42-man squad for next weekend Nations Championship clash with Argentina, giving Fabien Galti a timely boost after an injury crisis at No.10.
Jalibert did not feature during France’s November campaign after picking up a quadriceps injury while playing Top 14 rugby in September.
The Bordeaux-Bègles playmaker then suffered another setback in training last month but has now passed fit and is back in contention for Les Bleus.
The return of Jaliberto now gives Galti the option of a specialist half-back before hosting Argentina.
His return comes after France were forced into an unconventional approach during Friday night’s dramatic 21-19 win over South Africa at the Stade de France.
With Jaliberto, Thomas Ramos and Antoine Hastoy all unavailable and Romain Ntamack sidelined after dislocating his left shoulder during the win over Fiji On November 7, France turned to captain Antoine Dupont as their starting halfback.
The scrum-half shared playmaking duties with Maxime Lucua in a bold tactical move that raised eyebrows beforehand but ultimately led to a famous score.
France survived a fierce second-half fightback from the world champions to secure their first victory over a Rassie Erasmus-led South African side in Paris since 2005.
Converted tries from Aaron Grandidier-Nkangan, Theo Attissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey helped Les Bleus lead 21-7 at half-time, with Jan-Hendrik Wessels converting for the Springboks.
Despite Jasper Wiese receiving a 20-minute red card early in the second period, South Africa responded impressively. Cobus Reinach’s try after 50 minutes reduced the deficit to seven points and set up a tense finish as the visitors repeatedly threatened the French line.
The contest swung again when substitute prop Regis Montagne was lost in the last 10 minutes. South Africa looked set to take the win when Malcolm Marx was sent over from the drive, but replacement scrum-half Manie Libbok missed the conversion after Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu had converted the previous two tries.
That miss proved decisive as France held firm through a frenetic final to overcome a thriller.