2023-08-10 10:08:10
By Arnaud Coudry
Posted 14 minutes ago, Just updated
The captain of the Blues, Antoine Duont GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP
After the short setback in Edinburgh (25-21), Fabien Galthié decided to line up his typical team to challenge the XV du Chardon again on Saturday at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium.
After last Saturday’s infuriating defeat in Edinburgh (25-21), Fabien Galthié insisted that there was no “not too much room for disappointment”. Still, he decided to profoundly modify his starting XV and recall his executives for the second of four preparation matches, Saturday in Saint-Etienne, again against Scotland. “We are faithful to our thoughts, and to what we had planned to do. There are no upheavals, there is a lot of stability,” forward William Servat, the coach of the tricolor forwards.
In the end, only two players keep their starting place compared to last week. Cameron Woki (Racing 92) continues in the second row, this time associated with Thibaud Flament 5toulouse), revelation of the last Tournament, preferred to Bastien Chalureau (Montpellier). Flament and Woki, with fairly similar profiles, had already been associated last fall, against the Wallabies (30-29) and the Springboks (30-26). The other player to keep his place is flanker Paul Boudehent (La Rochelle), very prominent at Murrayfield, who has proven that he can be a credible alternative in the third line, in the absence of Anthony Jelonch, still in convalescence (knee), and of François Cros, hit in the adductors.
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A hinge Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack
For the rest, we change everything and we recall what the staff now calls its “premium” team. Thus, we will find in Geoffroy-Guichard the Toulouse hinge Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack (Toulouse), the most used pair of centers since 2020, Gaël Fickou (Racing 92) and Jonathan Danty (La Rochelle) – who will be associated for the 11th times -, as well as the strong men of the pack: the third lines Grégory Alldritt (La Rochelle) and Charles Ollivon (Toulon) and the Toulouse front line Julien Marchand and Cyril Baille. Their friend Dorian Aldegheri also continues in the position of right pillar, Uini Atonio (La Rochelle) being preserved on the bench of substitutes.
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The return that will be closely observed is that of Gabin Villière. A basic Grand Slam man made in the Six Nations Tournament in 2022, the winger with the red helmet then chained glitches and relapses, playing only four matches last season with the Var club. But, proof that the staff holds him in high esteem, he was recalled and established for this second match against XV du Chardon. He will make up the rear rear triangle of the Blues with two other essentials: winger Damien Penaud (ex-Clermont, UBB) and number 15 Thomas Ramos (Toulouse), whose number 1 spot at the back has not been called into question by Brice Dulin (La Rochelle), finally disappointing in Edinburgh.
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Gailleton and Bielle-Biarrey on the bench
On the substitutes’ bench, it should be noted that the two newcomers who shone last week, Emilien Gailleton (Pau) Louis Bielle-Biarrey (UBB) will take their place on the substitutes’ bench and will surely have a new opportunity to show themselves before the World Cup (September 8-October 28). Yoann Tanga, who had shone in Scotland, was hit in the pectoral. He did not participate in training for the week and is not on the match sheet.
The composition of the XV of France:
Ramos – Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Villière – (o) Ntamack, (m) Dupont (cap) – Ollivon, Alldritt, Boudehent – Flament, Woki – Aldegheri, Marchand, Baille
Replacements: Bourgarit, Gros, Atonio, Chalureau, Lucu, Verhaeghe, Bielle-Biarrey, Macalou.
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