The win over Wales made its mark, but France should be able to count on Bernard Le Roux against Scotland on Friday
LeeCoach Fabian Galthy was forced to make changes to his list of twenty-three players, which will be unveiled on Wednesday (12:30 p.m.), possibly without two players in the second row at the Stade de France last Saturday. A deciding match in the Six Nations tournament.
Uncertainty hangs over the appearance of Romain Taofeifenua, suffering a knee injury and being replaced by Swann Rebadj in the middle of the first period against Leek’s XV.
His teammate in the “Cage”, Paul Willems, received a red card in the final quarter of an hour for a clearing at neck level and a hand in the face of Welsh captain Alun Wynn Jones. The Montpellier player, who risks suspension, must be heard by the tournament’s disciplinary committee during the day.
“I think he does not deserve a heavy penalty, I think he deserves leniency. When you look at the pictures, there is no contact for me. Or, it is minimal and above all, not voluminous” , Galthy reacted on the Saturday after the match.
To avoid any incidents, the French management has recalled Pau Baptiste Pecenti’s second line and hoped to be able to count on the return of Le Roux, the fierce defender of the Blues.
Racing 92 players (31, 46 caps) missed the duel against Wales and, before that, a thigh muscle strain caused the tour of England (23–20 defeat). But he was recalled to the group to prepare for the final match against XV du Chardon.
Training, scheduled for 7:00 pm on Tuesday at Marcos (Essonne), should allow us to learn more about his status as the second most capped player in the French team behind center Gael Ficou (62 sel.).
At the opening, all lights are green for the tenure of Romain Entamac, who made it to the Stade de France Mathieu Jalibert (concussion protocol) after 30 minutes of play. N.10 of Bordeaux-Bagles was confiscated for Friday and replaced by the Tolonnais group by Louis Carbonell.
It will be Ntamack’s first stint since 31 October and the Blues’ win against Ireland (35-27) on the last day of the 2020 tournament. Toulouse had to give up after the fall tour due to a thigh pain. Then in late December he missed the trips to Italy (50-10) and Ireland (15-13) due to a double jaw fracture.
Other changes are not impossible at a higher game level. Anthony Zelonch is applying for the starting position in the third row along with captain Charles Olivone and number 8 Gregory Aldritt. Le Castres took on the physical challenge by playing the last half hour on Saturday, relayed Dylan Cretin, author of the Half Fig, Half Grape performance.
Winger Teddy Thomas was also one of the least prominent French against the “Red Dragons”. Center Arthur Vincent replaced him in the final twenty-five minutes, which resulted in Fikou being transferred to the wing, determining the build-up to the winning test.
After reversing the position against Wales (32–30), the leader in the standings, XV of France must make at least four tries against Scotland and win by 21 points to win the title. This will be the first time since 2010.
Possible composition of XV of France:
Dulin – Penaud, Wakatawa, Ficou, Thomas – (o) Nutamac, (m) Dupont – Olivone (cap.), Alldritt, Gelonche (or Cretin) – Rebadj (or Pesenti), Le Roux – Haus, Marchand, Bell
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