Coupe du monde de rugby 2023: l’heure (provisoire) de Maxime Lucu en remplacement d’Antoine Dupont

There is no doubt about the choice that the staff of the French XV will make to replace Antoine Dupont in the team lineup announced on Wednesday at 3 p.m. for two reasons. Firstly, because Galthié and his assistants have always respected the hierarchical order they have established. Secondly, because starting Maxime Lucu means prioritizing the option of complicity and complementarity with Matthieu Jalibert; both men being club partners. Laurent Labit confirms: « There is a hierarchy, rankings are made for positions and players. We also consider the players’ performances and those of the opponents, the game strategies we want to implement. Max is used to playing with Matthieu, they have an easy and logical connection. »

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Une affirmation qui trouve naturellement une caisse de résonance chez Matthieu Jalibert : « Si je dois jouer avec Max, ce sera plus facile car on joue toute l’année ensemble. Si je devais donner une qualité, ce serait son leadership, sa façon de gérer le lien entre avants et trois quarts et son jeu au pied, en plus du fait que c’est un excellent défenseur. Je le trouve très serein. Max, c’est un gros bosseur, qui travaille énormément, qui a les pieds sur terre. Cela fait quatre ans qu’il est dans le groupe, il connaît bien le système. Il est prêt à endosser ce rôle de 9. »
That’s why it’s Maxime Lucu’s time. A temporary time, of course, until the starting scrum-half returns. He has been serving as a backup since November 2021, without any reservations. Just like in the Grand Slam 2022, where he played in all five matches, coming off the bench each time, accumulating a total of… 37 minutes. Out of his 17 appearances, he has only started five times. But the player is already integrated into the system and the team. And that’s what the staff expects.