"Between them Jalipont are helping to fashion some of the most spectacular attacking rugby anyone could wish for. And to think people thought it might not work. That the parallel club universes of Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles, like star-crossed lovers, could never be intertwined. Instead, we could just be witnessing one of the great sporting collaborations, an example of what is possible when two shimmering individual talents mesh together and subvert their egos for the common good."
"The 54-12 victory in Cardiff on Sunday offered further compelling proof. Dupont has understandably taken a little while to rediscover his top form after his serious knee injury but remains a quality operator at scrum-half. Outside him, Jalibert, finally granted an extended starting run by head coach Fabien Galthie, is thriving in the grandmaster flash role at 10 in a team increasingly as watchable as any on the planet."
Antoine Dupont and Matthieu Jalibert form France's creative half-back partnership, producing some of the most spectacular attacking rugby in the Six Nations. Their complementary skills now define each other's impact on the field. The 54-12 victory in Cardiff showcased their influence, with the pair involved in six of France's eight tries. Dupont's crafty reverse flick launched Emilien Gailleton's opener and helped create Jalibert's perfect cross-kick to Louis Bielle-Biarrey. Jalibert, given an extended run at fly-half by coach Fabien Galthie, scored and provided incisive passes and creative kicking. The partnership has silenced doubts about combining talents from Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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