For the first time he is at the head of the French XV, he brought the same 23 players from one match to the next.
Fabien Galthié revealed his team composition on Thursday to face England on Saturday in Lyon, the last match of a Six Nations Tournament rectified after the success (24-45) of the Blues over Wales on Sunday.
A shock against the English, corrected last year (10-53), which the French coach fears will be fierce.
Do you think England will have revenge after the heavy defeat inflicted at Twickenham last year?
FABIEN GALTHIE.
It's possible.
For our part, we prepared to face an opponent who is coming off a huge performance against Ireland at Twickenham (23-22 victory) and a World Cup semi-final lost by one point against South Africa.
She is full of confidence, she is becoming the great England team again.
We focused on this subject, which is facing the England team of the moment.
Do Ireland's excellent results in the Tournament diminish the importance of this shock?
There are heavy tendencies of domination over periods.
Ireland has been consistent for around ten years and the arrival of Joe Schmidt as coach (2013-2019).
England enjoyed their peak under Eddie Jones' first tenure with two consecutive wins in the Tournament.
The wheel spins.
The trend of the moment is Ireland at the top and the return of England in strength and power.
We will say that this France-England is another peak of our Tournament.
How would you describe this English selection?
We find an English team that is explosive, powerful, and solid, with this pressure game that they exert on the opponent.
They often put pressure on the opposing camp with their kicking game.
She will come and get us, with and without the ball.
Their defense is also very aggressive...
They chose to copy what South Africa does, with a “rush defense” which throws itself at the opponent, which does not leave much time for the ball carrier to play.
We prepared to respond to these attacks with, but also without, the ball.
How will you respond to this challenge?
We will have to move forward to win this match, we will have to try to reverse the pressure.
What matters is energy.
There will be enormous fighting intensity.
We need to be more precise on certain points, particularly in defense.
England hit hard, and repeatedly, in the middle of the field.