The coach and his staff had warned ahead of this autumn tour.
No turnover but a privileged typical team, renewed to shape
the “collective experience
”.
A cap kept since for the third and last match of November, Fabien Galthié has, of course, made three changes in his starting XV, but all justified by packages.
For the rest, he renewed the winners of Australia and South Africa to face the Japanese, this Sunday (2 p.m.) at the Stadium in Toulouse.
Captain Antoine Dupont suspended, it is logically his lining Maxime Lucu who endorses number 9. The scrum half will be associated in hinge, not with his partner of the UBB Matthieu Jalibert, again on the bench, but with Romain Ntamack, renewed despite two somewhat lackluster first matches.
The captaincy, he logically falls to his predecessor in the function, the third-line of Toulon Charles Ollivon.
Other changes, this time in front, where the left pillar of Stade Rochelais, Reda Wardi, will honor, a week after his first selection, his first tenure, in place of Toulouse Cyril Baille, touched in the adductors and package.
In the second line, it is the usual finisher Romain Taofifenua who makes up for the absence, due to concussion against the Springboks, of Thibaut Flament.
The second-line Florian Verhaeghe only player with zero selection among the 23
Note, in the center of the tricolor attack, the presence of Jonathan Danty.
Hit in the head during a clearing by Pieter-Steph Du Toit (which had earned a red card for the Springbok), the staff and the player had feared, at first, a fracture in the face.
Medical examinations showed that this was not the case.
And as the young dad had satisfied the concussion protocol, he will hold his place well alongside Gaël Fickou.
The ally Damian Penaud, hit in the right knee during training on Thursday, will also hold his place as the X factor of the Blues.
Who says adjustments in the starting XV, says changes on the bench.
The pillar Dany Priso returns there.
In the second line, appearance of Florian Verhaeghe, trained at Stade Toulousain and crowned French champion last June with Montpellier, the only player with zero selection among the 23. And it is the Lyonnais Baptiste Couilloud who will be the double at the position of half scrum from Maxime Lucu.
The starting XV
: Ramos - Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Moefana - Ntamack, Lucu - Alldritt, Ollivon (cap), Jelonch - Taofifenua, Woki - Atonio, Marchand, Wardi.
Replacements
: Mauvaka, Priso, Falatea, Chalureau, Verhaeghe, Macalou, Couilloud, Jalibert.
