France bring in in SA-born muscle for Wales clash
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Backline tyros Damian Penaud and Antoine Dupont have shrugged off niggles to make the France team named by coach Jacques Brunel for the World Cup quarterfinal against Wales on Sunday.
Electric wing Penaud (lower stomach) and livewire scrumhalf Dupont (back) take their place in a starting XV that will be captained by hooker Guilhem Guirado.
“If he hadn’t recovered, we wouldn’t play him,” Brunel said of Penaud.
“The same goes for Antoine Dupont. We’ve protected them a bit, looked after them and they are 100 percent fit today [Friday].”
Guirado will make his first start in three matches having played second fiddle to Camille Chat in France’s last two pool matches against the United States (33-9) and Tonga (23-21).
🇫🇷🏴 #WALvFRA LOADING…
■■■■■■■■■■□□□□□□□□□□ 50%Voici votre équipe pour ce quart-de-finale de Coupe du Monde ! #NeFaisonsXV #RWC2019 #XVdeFrance pic.twitter.com/K01wy9RCte
— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) October 18, 2019
The final match of the pool, against England, was cancelled because of the deadly Typhoon Hagibis that swept into eastern Japan.
That cancellation meant that Brunel had not been able to pick the team that had opened their campaign with a 23-21 victory over Argentina.
For Wales, Brunel made one change from that team that beat Los Pumas, drafting in South African-born Bernard Le Roux in place of Arthur Iturria in the second row.
Le Roux missed France’s three warm-up matches because of a ban, but showed up well against the United States.
“We know how active he is, we’ve seen that since the start of the tournament,” Brunel said.
“We love that back-row/second-row player profile. He’s very active around the park and loves contact.”
Iturria, who also fits that profile but is not quite the physical wrecking ball that Le Roux can be on his day, misses out on the matchday 23, Brunel instead naming lock Paul Gabrillagues and No.8 Louis Picamoles among the replacements.
Maxime Medard will start at fullback alongside wings Penaud and Yoann Huget, while Fiji-born Virimi Vakatawa and Gael Fickou are in midfield.
Dupont will partner Romain Ntamack at halfback, with Baptiste Serin and Camille Lopez on the bench.
Guirado packs down between props Rabah Slimani and Jefferson Poirot, while Le Roux is joined in the boiler house by Sebastien Vahaamahina.
Gregory Alldritt, Charles Ollivon and Wenceslas Lauret form a combative back row that will have its work cut out against Six Nations champions Wales.
Chat, Cyril Baille and Emerick Setiano provide front-row cover, while Vincent Rattez, called up as a replacement for Thomas Ramos, is preferred to Sofiane Guitoune as the back-three option from the bench.
France: 15 Maxime Medard, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Yoann Huget, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 4 Bernard Le Roux, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado (captain), 1 Jefferson Poirot.
Replacements: 16 Cyril Baille, 17 Camille Chat, 18 Emerick Setiano, 19 Paul Gabrillagues, 20 Louis Picamoles, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Camille Lopez, 23 Vincent Rattez.
Date: Sunday, October 20
Venue: Oita Stadium, Oita Prefecture
Kick-off: 16.15 (07.15 GMT; 08.15 UK & Ireland time; 09.15 France time)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (Australia), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
READ: Wales get big names back for France clash
