That's true but I think it's implicit here we're working with the algebraic extension generated by the number itself (which always contains the Galois conjugates).
I'm not sure if I'm using the jargon properly, but if r is the real cube root of 2, then I thought the extension generated by r is Q(r), which contains only reals. So (x^3 - 2) factors into (x-r) and the irreducible quadratic (x^2 + r*x + r^2). You have to do some extra thing to reach the splitting field, amirite?