Entitlement is when someone believes they are deserving of something or to be given certain privileges which may not align with those around them.
Yesterday I was quite amazed to hear the commentators mention that the French coach had to change his match day team because Matthieu Jalibert refused to play off the bench. Everyone agrees he is a good player and that possibly he may or should have started the match. This player was sent home immediately as this is a negative, selfish and poisonous individual you do not need in your team.
The coach will select a team that he believes will win the match and it will involve playing a certain way that may favor other players. The player he selected instead slotted all the kicks finishing the match with a 100% record. France won the match 30-29 so the coach was justified in his selection because it was the kicks that won the match at the end of the day.
The French team gave a new cap to their new fullback yesterday who has been waiting 4 years for this opportunity. The selection was justified because he played a great game and also scored one of the teams tries. This was the reason why Jalabert was on the bench because the coach needs to see how new players react in pressure matches and how he grows the squad.
Jalabert is 26 years old so he still has a bright future ahead of him but he needs to change his attitude placing the team first. We have seen it with football when players are substituted and they leave the field in a huff disrespecting their manager in the process.
This tells you so much about how players are managed in different teams because the South African rugby team does not experience these temper tantrums or a feeling of entitlement. This calendar year alone they have used 50 players with the 50th cap handed out yesterday. The squad is being rebuilt in preparation for the next world cup so new players will be experimented with. 50 players is more than 3 match day teams so one can understand the importance of having so many players who are of the same or similar quality.
The SA team that played England yesterday scarily enough was not their strongest team and the players have the confidence in their coach to know what he is doing. He tells the players that they are not bigger than the team and this has been the case from day one. Players have their wings clipped on a regular basis and know who is boss yet he also knows when they need pumping up.
Jalabert foolishly spoke out and instead of sitting on the replacements bench which these days in rugby normally means you will play in the match at some point. The bench is seen as impact players that can change the match and if used correctly normally does in a positive way.
In yesterdays match the player that replaced Jalabert was switched to another position which would have meant Jalabert would have come off the bench and he missed out. Players have to see the role they have in a team that is more about getting the best out of the squad and not necessarily the individual. The 30 or so minutes he would have played could have shown the coach a pick me attitude next time by his performance.
With another 3 years to go to the next world cup squads ae being rotated and experimented with so a plyer not playing along with the coaches desires has to be seen as short sighted. France has only used 3 other players besides their squad from last years world cup so they need to do far more player testing before 2027. Jalabert will still have 2 World Cups to look forward to if he changes his attitude or none at all.