France fear the worst after COVID outbreak
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Antoine Dupont will skipper France against Wales in the Six Nations in Cardiff on Friday as a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad has left coach Fabien Galthie preparing for the worst.
Star wing Damian Penaud misses out after a positive test, his place taken by the free-scoring Gabin Villiere, who sat out the Scotland win through injury.
Lock Romain Taofifenua will also skip the trip to Cardiff after testing positive for COVID.
“Damian Penaud and Romain Taofifenua will not travel following positive tests this [Wednesday] morning,” France team manager Raphael Ibanez said after Galthie named the team on Wednesday.
“We’d largely been spared that until now, but that’s the way it is. We have the resources to front up against Wales.
“Yesterday [Tuesday] evening we explained to them that everything can happen very quickly. And that was the case.”
Galthie did not rule out other players testing positive before Friday’s match at the Principality Stadium.
“We are preparing for it: we are waiting for information from the Six Nations Committee to find out if and when we will be retested,” he said.
Penaud and Taofifenua, Galthie added, had discovered they had tested positive “this morning when they were packing”.
“Psychologically, it’s brutal. But we’ve got to keep going and the guys coming in are ready.”
Dupont takes his place in the starting XV after overcoming a stinger sustained in training on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old scrum-half was forced to leave the session early after coming off worse in contact with a fellow squad member, his left arm bandaged and iced.
The world player of the year, who had his elbow and biceps treated on the sidelines, has been crucial to France’s current successful run: the team has notched up three wins from three matches and are bidding for their first Grand Slam since 2010, the last time they won the title.
“He’s doing fine, very well,” a reassuring Galthie said of his talismanic captain.
France coach Fabien Galthie named Villiere, scorer of a hat-trick of tries in the 37-10 opening win over Italy and star of the 30-24 victory over Ireland, in place of Penaud, with Yoram Moefana retaining the other wing spot.
Moefana had stepped in after Villiere missed the 36-17 rout of Scotland with a facial injury.
Villiere is the sole change from that run-out in Murrayfield.
Dupont is joined at half-back by Toulouse teammate Romain Ntmack, with Gael Fickou and Jonathan Danty in midfield, Moefana on the other wing and Melvyn Jaminet at full-back.
The pack is unaltered, New Zealand-born Uini Atonio and Cyril Baille propping up hooker Julien Marchand while Cameron Woki and South African-born Paul Willemse are named in the second row.
Anthony Jelonch, Gregory Alldritt and Francois Cros form an ultra-competitive back row.
Prop Mohamed Haouas comes in for Demba Bamba among the replacements, Galthie going for a five-three forwards-backs split, with Toulouse wing Matthis Lebel named at the expense of Toulon lock Taofifenua after his positive test.
France: 15 Melvyn Jaminet, 14 Yoram Moefana, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Gabin Villiere, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (captain), 8 Anthony Jelonch, 7 Gregory Alldritt, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Cameron Woki, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille.
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Mohamed Haouas, 19 Thibaud Flament, 20 Dylan Cretin, 21 Maxime Lucu, 22 Thomas Ramos, 23 Matthis Lebel.
Date: Friday, March 11
Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 20.00 (21.00 French time; 20.00 GMT)
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO: Tom Foley (England)
