After the dress rehearsal against Georgia last Sunday, it’s time for the big premiere. Saturday at 9 p.m., the XV of France faces the formidable All Blacks at the Stade de France. After two victories against Argentina and the Georgians, the Blues conclude their autumn tour with strong. France has lost the last 14 confrontations with New Zealanders. We have to go back to June 2009 to find the last victory, 27-22 in Dunedin.
If Fabien Galthié’s players won their matches without convincing, the results are nonetheless positive. Apart from last season, with an autumn Nations Cup deprived of the main selections of the Southern Hemisphere due to the pandemic, the Blues must go back to 2014 to find an autumn tour of the same level. And even in 2012, to see the trace of three victories (ahead of Australia, Argentina and Samoa).
The All Blacks fell in Ireland
Important signal, which will not have escaped the coach, the Blacks fell against Ireland (29-20) last Saturday. A successful feat for only the third time in the history of the XV of clubs. Data that made Fabien Galthié reflect. With his general manager, Raphaël Ibanez, they say they have “heard” the message from the coach of the All Blacks, Ian Foster. After the defeat in Ireland, he said he wanted to “finish very strong” in France.
The XV of France must therefore “provide a strong response“to the Kiwis, triple world champions (1987, 2011 and 2015). And that will go through the group aligned on the lawn of the Stade de France on Saturday. The Blues will find their usual Toulouse hinge, formed by Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack. The latter. had been placed in the center in the previous two games to make room for the opening to Matthieu Jalibert, replacing Saturday.
Return of the Dupont – Ntamack hinge
Not convincing, the Jalibert – Dupont association will therefore not be renewed. “We had two games to test, Fabien Galthié said Thursday. It is a performance objective. We chose this formula to attack the match: it is above all a choice of performance rather than a default choice.“. The coach has chosen the experience with the hinge of the Stade Toulousain. Instead of Ntamack, Jonathan Danty will meet his former friend of the Stade Français Gaël Fickou.
In total, Galthié made five changes from the starting XV who dominated Georgia in Bordeaux. Besides Danty, hooker Peato Mauvaka replaces Julien Marchand, injured in the ribs; Romain Taofifenua gives way to Paul Willemse in the second row; François Cros enters for Sekou Macalou, injured in the foot, in the third line; Gabin Villière regains his place of holder at the expense of Matthis Lebel.
To motivate his troops, Raphaël Ibanez declared: “When we beat them, we become another player“. A match that has”relief“for coach Galthié.