Antoine Dupont will make his return to the France team as captain for Saturday’s Test against Japan after sitting out the last 13 months of international duty.
Dupont’s last run-out in blue at 15s came in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat by eventual champions South Africa a little over a year ago.
In the 13 months since that loss on home soil, the 27-year-old scrumhalf has helped the France sevens team to an Olympic gold medal as well as claiming a French Top 14 and Champions Cup double with club Toulouse.
Dupont will partner Toulouse teammate Thomas Ramos at half-back, the latter preferred over Matthieu Jalibert to start at flyhalf.
Ramos, who normally plays fullback for his club, replaced Jalibert in the No 10 shirt for matches against England and Wales last year.
There is a debut for Bayonne prop Tevita Tatafu, while Gael Fickou drops to the bench for the first time since 2019, Yoram Moefana and Emilien Gailleton were named in midfield.
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Head coach Fabien Galthie insisted that not starting Fickou, the long-time defensive leader who has been a shoo-in for his last 48 matches, was not a slight.
“Being named in the 23-man squad is not a downgrade,” the former Les Bleus scrumhalf said. “There is no comfort zone in the France team.”
Leo Barre starts at fullback, with Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud on the wings.
Gregory Alldritt, Alexandre Roumat and Francois Cros form a strong back row, with Emmanuel Meafou and Thibaud Flament packing down in the engine room.
Tatafu, who was born in Tonga but joined the youth set-up of his French club as a 17-year-old, starts at tighthead alongside hooker Peato Mauvaka and loosehead Jean-Baptiste Gros.
In an unlikely combination, Tatafu will line up against his Bordeaux-Begles based cousin and No 8 who was named on the bench for Japan. He, too, is named Tevita Tatafu.
After opening their November campaign against Japan, France go on to play New Zealand and Argentina on successive weekends, both matches also at the Stade de France.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
