The highly anticipated line-up of the French XV against South Africa was leaked a little less than 24 hours before the official announcement from coach Fabien Galthié. This contains no real surprises.
Beaten by South Africa in the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Cup, the French XV will meet the Springboks at the Stade de France a little over two years later. A meeting in which Fabien Galthié intends to emerge victorious despite the absence of his captain Antoine Dupont, injured but present alongside the Blues in Marcoussis. The Toulouse scrum half will likely be replaced by Nolann Le Garrec. The information was confirmed by several media and the choices made by the coach during the setup.
Except for one or two elements, the composition of the XV of France is known. However, less than 24 hours before Fabien Galthié’s official announcement, the composition of his team was leaked. The culprit is the LNR. The League mistakenly published an article revealing the names of the fifteen French starters against the Boks. “The starting lineup for the first match of this fall tour was revealed this Thursday by Fabien Galthié” we could read in the article we learn Rugby Rama before it was removed an hour later.
No big surprises to report
Relatively expected, this starting XV contains little or no surprises. The absence of Grégory Alldritt seemed inevitable, Mickaël Guillard will wear number 8 for the France team. It is on the front line that the Baptiste Erdocio tendency has been confirmed as the left pillar. Even more surprising, Régis Montagne earned his starting stripes on the right side to the detriment of Dorian Aldegheri. The 25-year-old from Clermont, selected for the first time last summer during the tour of New Zealand, will experience his third cape. The rest of the team remains classic overall, we will find among others executives such as Guillaume Marchand at the back, Damian Penaud on a wing or even Thomas Ramos at the back.
The line-up of the XV of France against South Africa
Ramos – Penaud, Barassi, Fickou, Bielle-Biarrey – Ntamack, Le Garrec – Guillard, Jelonch, Boudehent – Meafou, Flament – Montagne, Marchand, Erdocio.
