CJ Stander has warned Ireland to beware of the teenage France fly-half Matthieu Jalibert’s attacking craft when the two sides meet on Saturday.
The 19-year-old Jalibert has made only 15 league appearances for Bordeaux Bègles but has been thrust into Les Bleus’ starting lineup for Jacques Brunel’s first game in charge. Ireland’s back row of Stander, Josh van der Flier and Peter O’Mahony could have been forgiven for licking their lips at the prospect of hunting down an untried No 10 but the Munster flanker insisted Ireland must keep a close eye on France’s latest prodigy.
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“He plays a good game, he’s very exciting and tries anything from anywhere, so we’ve got to watch him closely,” Stander said. “You don’t know what he’s going to bring, so you’ve got to get in his face and just try to shut him down.
“We try to put pressure on any fly-half we come up against, so it will be no different with Jalibert this weekend. If he’s good enough and he gets a chance then he should grab it. He’s been great when he’s played for his club, so I’m looking forward to getting a chance to play against him.”
Jalibert has been paired with the in-form scrum-half Maxime Machenaud, who will take penalties and conversions, after Morgan Parra was ruled out through injury. “This year is going really fast, everything is happening to me at lightning speed,” Jalibert said.
Another uncapped player, the full-back Geoffrey Palis, will also start and France will rely on Virimi Vakatawa and Teddy Thomas’s speed on the wings.