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France name team for Springboks and Picamoles is back
By Peter Thompson
Louis Picamoles and Camille Lopez return to France's starting line-up to face South Africa in Paris on Saturday.
Picamoles has not featured for Les Bleus since February, but the number eight gets the nod to make his first Test start for almost a year.
Lopez gets the nod at fly-half for what will be his first international appearance since March 2017, having put his injury woes behind him.
The versatile Damian Penaud will start on the wing for the first time in a Test, with Geoffrey Doumayrou and Mathieu Bastareaud making up the centre pairing.
Jacques Brunel has preferred Sebastien Vahaamahina to Paul Gabrillagues in the second row for the clash at Stade de France.
France: Maxime Medard, Teddy Thomas, Mathieu Bastareaud, Geoffrey Doumayrou, Damian Penaud, Camille Lopez, Baptiste Serin; Jefferson Poirot, Guilhem Guirado (captain), Cedate Gomes Sa, Sebastien Vahaamahina, Yoann Maestri, Wenceslas Lauret, Arthur Iturria, Louis Picamoles.
Replacements: Camille Chat, Dany Priso, Rabah Slimani, Paul Gabrillagues, Mathieu Babillot, Antoine Dupont, Anthony Belleau, Gael Fickou.
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Latest Comments
It is if he thinks he’s got hold of the ball and there is at least one other player between him and the ball carrier, which is why he has to reach around and over their heads. Not a deliberate action for me.
Go to commentsI understand, but England 30 years ago were a set piece focused kick heavy team not big on using backs.
Same as now.
South African sides from any period will have a big bunch of forwards smashing it up and a first five booting everything in their own half.
NZ until recently rarely if ever scrummed for penalties; the scrum is to attack from, broken play, not structured is what we’re after.
Same as now.
These are ways of playing very ingrained into the culture.
If you were in an English club team and were off to Fiji for a game against a club team you’d never heard of and had no footage of, how would you prepare?
For a forward dominated grind or would you assume they will throw the ball about because they are Fijian?
A Fiji way. An English way.
An Australian way depends on who you’ve scraped together that hasn’t been picked off by AFL or NRL, and that changes from generation to generation a lot of the time.
Actually, maybe that is their style. In fact, yes they have a style.
Nevermind. Fuggit I’ve typed it all out now.
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