Gael Fickou will captain France on Saturday against South Africa at the Stade de France, with Nolann Le Garrec starting at scrum-half in place of the injured Antoine Dupont.
Fickou captained France’s experimental squad for their tour of New Zealand in July, and has held onto the position despite a number of front-line stars returning.
Leading into the match, discussions revolved around who would start in the No.9 jersey as Dupont’s usual deputy Maxime Lucu had only just returned from a thumb injury. Galthie has opted for La Rochelle’s Le Garrec, with Lucu taking one of the two back positions on the bench.
Tests of time – Episode 1 | Trailer | RPTV
The 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter final between New Zealand and Ireland will forever be remembered as an all time classic. Episode one of Tests of Time looks into what made that night so special. Watch now on RugbyPass TV.
Tests of time – Episode 1 | Trailer | RPTV
The 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter final between New Zealand and Ireland will forever be remembered as an all time classic. Episode one of Tests of Time looks into what made that night so special. Watch now on RugbyPass TV.
One notable omission is Gregory Alldritt, who stood in as captain for Dupont in the Six Nations after the scrum-half ruptured his ACL.
The No.8 made comments about the atmosphere in the France camp after La Rochelle’s victory over Racing 92 in the Top 14 recently, and has found himself out of the squad. Those comments came after a summer where he reportedly withdrew from taking part in the series with the All Blacks. Lyon’s Mickaël Guillard will start at the back of the scrum in his place.
France
South Africa
Just 30 minutes before Galthie named his squad, South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus shared what he predicted to be the French line-up, getting all 23 players correct (albeit there were leaks online).
Erasmus, who usually goes early with his team announcements, is yet to name his Springboks side for the rematch of the 2023 World Cup quarter-final epic.
France XV
15 Thomas Ramos
14 Damian Penaud
13 Pierre-Louis Barassi
12 Gaël Fickou (c)
11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey
10 Romain Ntamack
9 Nolann Le Garrec
1 Baptiste Erdocio
2 Julien Marchand
3 Régis Montagne
4 Thibaud Flament
5 Emmanuel Meafou
6 Anthony Jelonch
7 Paul Boudehent
8 Mickaël Guillard
Replacements
16 Guillaume Cramont
17 Jean-Baptiste Gros
18 Dorian Aldegheri
19 Romain Taofifenua
20 Hugo Auradou
21 Oscar Jegou
22 Maxime Lucu
23 Nicolas Depoortère