27 days before the opening clash of the World Cup (September 8 to October 28) against the All Blacks at the Stade de France, Fabien Galthié’s men are playing the second of their four preparation matches this Saturday evening. Fiji will follow on August 19 in Saint-Étienne and Australia on August 27 at the Stade de France. The meeting is to be followed – kick-off 9 p.m. – on TF1, commented on by François Trillo and his consultant Benjamin Kayser, but also live on the Figaro site, under the wise pen of Louis Mouret.
The Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in Saint-Étienne will host the XV of France for the second time in its history. The only precedent dates back to November 24, 2001. The Blues of coach Bernard Laporte, led by their captain… Fabien Galthié, had dominated Fiji 77 to 10, scoring 12 tries, including doubles from Christophe Dominici, Aurélien Rougerie and Serge Betsen. The last rugby match in the lair of the Greens of the round ball dates back to April 18, 2015. That day, ASM Clermont beat Saracens (13-9) in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup in front of 41,500 supporters .
If we exclude the injured on the list carrying out the summer preparation – Romain Taofifenua (thigh) and François Crois (adductors) – the back of Stade Toulousain, Melvyn Jaminet is the only one of the 42 players not to be on the sheet of match in these first two Tests against Scotland. In detail, 28 players have been established (only Boudehent and Woki have been twice) and 11 only substitutes.
Since Fabien Galthié took office in January 2020, the XV of France has lost only eight games (out of 36 played). The executioners of the Blues? Ireland (once), England and Australia (twice each) and… Scotland three times. The XV du Chardon is even the only opponent to have won in France during these four seasons, a success at the Stade de France 23-27 on March 26, 2021. The last dates back to last Saturday, 25 to 21, at Murrayfield.
Fabien Galthié has changed everything or almost since last week by designating thirteen new holders. On the bench two players who were not in the first test – Uini Atonio and Maxime Lucu – also appear. On the Scottish side, coach Greg Townsend was less radical with six changes to his starting XV. The two coaches have also appointed a new captain. Back, Antoine Dupont resumes his stripes, Brice Dulin not being on the score sheet. On the Xv side of Chardon, if Finn Russel, promoted captain last week, remains a starter, he loses the armband in favor of the ghost, the third-line wing Jamie Ritchie.
On March 19, 2022, Gabin Villière finished with his 12th selection by celebrating, with his teammates, a Grand Slam that France had been waiting for for twelve years. Firmly installed in the premium team, indisputable holder on the left wing of the XV of France. From ? Zero additional selection. The Toulonnais chained the physical glitches, the repeated injuries, being forced to forfeit for the next eleven matches of the Blues. Proof of the high esteem he enjoys with the tricolor staff, with only four match sheets in the RCT jersey last season, the poison in the red helmet finds his place directly in the so-called Premium team. The interim exercised, among others, by the young Lyonnais Ethan Dumortier (holder in the last six matches of the XV of France) having obviously not proved conclusive enough.