France head coach Fabian Galthie has made sweeping changes to his starting XV for the clash against Australia in Brisbane.
Les Bleus head into the encounter off the back of a 34-32 defeat to the All Blacks, but they have been bolstered by the arrival of the Top 14 finalists for the showdown at Suncorp Stadium.
The most notable change sees Matthieu Jalibert shift from fly-half to full-back to accommodate Romain Ntamack’s return to the international stage. It’s the first time that the duo feature in the same starting line-up for Les Bleus and a ploy that Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt says will be a real ‘challenge’ for Australia.
Top 14 top dogs return for France
Injured captain Antoine Dupont is the big absentee for France, but Galthie has rolled out the big guns for the Wallabies with Théo Attissogbe starting on the one wing while Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang earns his Test debut on the other. Grandidier-Nkanang, former France 7s star, debuts after a standout season with Pau, helping the side reach the knockout stages of the Top 14 – playing an astonishing 25 times for the club.
Galthie has not tinkered with his midfield as Yoram Moefana and Fabien Brau-Boirie retain their starting roles after a strong showing against the All Blacks. Maxime Lucu will once again captain the team from scrum-half as he combines with Ntamack in the half-backs.
Most of the changes do come in the pack, though with Brisbane-born Moses Alo-Emile earning a Test debut at loosehead prop. He is joined by the returning Peato Mauvaka while Demba Bamba is retained as the starting tighthead.
Florian Verhaeghe and Emmanuel Meafou are the starting locks, with last week’s run-on duo Hugo Auradou and Tom Staniforth dropping to the bench. Marko Gazzotti and Oscar Jégou feature in the back-row once again but are now joined by Lenni Nouchi.
Maxime Lamothe, Jefferson Poirot, and Tevita Tatafu provide front-row cover for Les Bleus with Galthie selecting a 6-2 split on the bench this week. Auradou, Staniforth and Killian Tixeront are the other three forward replacements, while Nolann Le Garrec and Kalvin Gourgues will look to make an impact in the backs.
“They can both play in a similar way, and that’s attacking rugby,” Wallabies boss Schmidt remarked on Ntamack and Jalibert before the France team announcement.
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“Both of them on the pitch at the same time is a headache for us, so I could drop Fabian a message and say, ‘Look, just one at a time would be good.’
“It’s something we will have to adapt to. Their ability in terms of short, long kicking game, to play to the, they are both quick and have great footwork.
“They are a challenge for us. It’s a big ask for Declan to mark up against one of those guys. And Hastoy has been unbelievably good for La Rochelle.”
Wallabies team: Fly-half crisis worsens as Joe Schmidt hands Brumbies ace the reins against France
France team v Australia
France: 15 Matthieu Jalibert, 14 Théo Attissogbe, 13 Fabien Brau-Boirie, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Maxime Lucu (c), 8 Marko Gazzotti, 7 Oscar Jégou, 6 Lenni Nouchi, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Florian Verhaeghe, 3 Demba Bamba, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Moses Alo-Emile
Replacements: 16 Maxime Lamothe, 17 Jefferson Poirot, 18 Tevita Tatafu, 19 Hugo Auradou, 20 Tom Staniforth, 21 Killian Tixeront, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Kalvin Gourgues
Date: Saturday, 11 July, 2026
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 17:40 (local Brisbane), 08:40 (UK), 09:40 (France), 09:40 (South Africa), 17:40 (AEST), 19:40 (New Zealand), 04:40 (Argentina), 16:40 (JST), 03:40 (EDT)
Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Christophe Ridley (RFU) and Katsuki Furuse (JRFU)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
FPRO: Glenn Newman (NZR)
Broadcasters: ITV (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Wowow (Japan), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Nine Network / Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)
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