A crucial match to validate your ticket for the quarter-finals. Fabien Galthié revealed this Wednesday his team composition to face Italy on Friday (9 p.m.) in Lyon, during the last group match of the Rugby World Cup. As expected, it is Maxime Lucu (UBB) who will start in the scrum in the absence of Antoine Dupont, recovering after having been operated on for a maxillo-zygomatic fracture.
Another absence is that of hooker Julien Marchand, who is still suffering from a hamstring muscle injury since the opening match against the All Blacks (27-13) on September 8. It is therefore his teammate at Stade Toulousain, Peato Mauvaka, who will once again start at tailback.
One of the questions of this composition was to know who would be the captain of the XV of France in the absence of Antoine Dupont. It was ultimately Charles Ollivon (Toulon), former French captain at the start of Fabien Galthié’s mandate, who inherited the armband. He was preferred to his two friends on the third row, Anthony Jelonch (Toulouse) and Grégory Alldritt (La Rochelle).
For the rest, no surprises for this match against the Nazionale. Thibaud Flament and Cameron Woki will start in the cage, Jonathan Danty and Gaël Fickou will form the center pair and the back triangle will be made up of Louis Bielle-Biarrey (still preferred to Gabin Villière) and Damian Penaud on the wings, with striker Thomas Ramos at the rear. On the substitutes’ bench, the right pillar Dorian Aldegheri (Toulouse), an uncertain and spare time, will finally take his place, he was preferred to Sipili Falatea (UBB).
Despite the loss they received against the All Blacks (96-17), Italy can still, mathematically, qualify for the quarter-finals if they win against the Blues. The French XV nevertheless remains on a series of 13 successes against the Transalpines, since 2013 and an Italian success 28-13 at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. During the last Six Nations Tournament, Ange Capuozzo and his teammates upset the Blues, they had a penalty at the end of the match to win but they ultimately lost 24-29.
Ramos – Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Bielle-Biarrey – Jalibert (o), Lucu (m) – Ollivon (cap), Alldritt, Jelonch – Flament, Woki – Atonio, Mauvaka, BailleRemplaçants: Bourgarit, Wardi, Aldegheri, Taofifenua, Cros , Couilloud, Moefana, Jaminet
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