France v Australia - Teams and Prediction
PREVIEW: Out-of-sorts France welcome out-of-form Australia to Paris in the Nations Series on Saturday with both sides mired in sticky patches.
Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies are one loss away from a first winless European tour since 1958 and a record 10th defeat of the year.
Fabien Galthie’s Les Bleus have struggled for confidence since losing Antoine Dupont to a knee injury as they won the Six Nations in March.
The side lost each Test in a three-match series in New Zealand and, still without the superstar scrumhalf, they were then humbled by South Africa in their opener before struggling past Fiji last Saturday.
Their sluggish performances have been in stark contrast to the swashbuckling attack and surefire defence earlier this year.
“We’ve had four weeks of work together and played the two games,” former captain Galthie told reporters on Thursday.
“There’s no reason why things don’t click for this third game.
“The explanations are that we lacked consistency and then we lacked time together before the first game,” the 56-year-old added.
Former Ireland boss Schmidt will leave his role after next July’s Nations Championship Tests.
His problems seem to be the opposite of Galthie’s. Australia’s squad has been together pretty much non-stop since their opening Test of the season in June.
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‘Flog a dead horse’
“You cannot flog a dead horse and I have never ever been in a Test window for so long,” 60-year-old Schmidt told reporters.
“I think the longest period that they’ve had a break for was eight days since we started.
“I think as much as anything it’s mental, emotional fatigue as much as it is physical, so that in itself has been challenging,” the New Zealander added.
Galthie has made three changes but has kept Romain Ntamack in the key playmaking flyhalf position.
Ntamack has borne the brunt of the negative assessments of Les Bleus’ attack, but Galthie defended the Toulouse flyhalf.
“There’s no conversation about his performance,” Galthie said.
“The problem with a player at the centre of the game is that if he doesn’t get the ball, it’s hard for him to be a playmaker.
“We hear the criticism. It’s expected. We accept them,” he added.
Meanwhile, Australia have also had their fair share of struggles at flyhalf.
On the eve of the encounter, Carter Gordon was ruled out of the match due to a quad injury.
The 24-year-old Gordon was to play his 10th international, and only his second since September 2023.
Tane Edmed will step in at flyhalf, with Hamish Steward added to the bench for cover, as experienced James O’Connor was sent back to his club, Leicester.
An added element is that this is the final Test of the year for both nations, and if Australia win by 16 points or more, they will overtake France in the rankings, move into the top six and earn a favourable seeding for the Rugby World Cup on home soil, when the draw is made on December 3.
“Sixteen points is very difficult, when it’s difficult to win to begin,” Schmidt said.
“We’re looking at the performance.
“If we chase the big results like that, I think it’s too difficult and I think we’ll lose the focus that we need,” he added.
Players to watch:
For France: Centre Gaël Fickou returns to the starting XV after missing the Fiji clash, and the 31-year-old’s experience will be crucial in stabilising the midfield. Louis Bielle-Biarrey, a Player of the Year nominee, remains one of the most dangerous finishers in world rugby and can strike from anywhere. In the engine room, locks Thibaud Flament and Emmanuel Meafou face a demanding night at the line-out, while skipper Grégory Alldritt, Charles Ollivon, and Anthony Jelonch will need to be at their relentless best at the breakdown.
For Australia: The Wallabies celebrate two major milestones, with prop Angus Bell and inside centre Len Ikitau each running out for their 50th Test – adding motivation to finish this campaign on a high. Bell, who debuted in 2020, will pack down in a powerful front row alongside hooker Matt Feassler and tighthead Taniela Tupou. Ikitau, the reigning John Eales Medallist, made his Test debut against France in 2021 and will partner Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in the midfield at the iconic Stade de France. The combination can be lethal.
Prediction
Rugby365: France by five points
Teams:
France: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Maxime Lucu, 8 Gregory Alldritt (captain), 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Anthony Jelonch, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Regis Montagne, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros.
Replacements: 16 Maxime Lamothe, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Thomas Laclayat, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Hugo Auradou, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Baptiste Jauneau, 23 Kalvin Gourgues.
Australia: 15 Max Jorgensen, 14 Harry Potter, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Nick Frost, 4 Jeremy Williams, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Feassler, 1 Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 Aiden Ross, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Rob Valentini, 20 Carlo Tizzano, 21 Kalani Thomas, 22 Hamish Stewart, 23 Filipo Daugunu.
Date: Saturday, November 22
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Kick-off: 21.10 (20.10 GMT; 07.10 AEDT Sunday, November 23)
Expected weather: Cloudy conditions with moderate rain are expected. The maximum temperature is around 26°C.
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
