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U20

France name team for Springboks and Picamoles is back

By Peter Thompson

08 Nov 2018

Montpellier won't be able to call on Louis Picamoles until next September at the earliest

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.

🇫🇷🇿🇦 Voici la composition de notre équipe pour le premier match de la tournée d'automne samedi soir au @StadeFrance contre les @Springboks ! Nous comptons sur vous pour venir pousser votre #XVdeFrance ! Ensemble, #NeFaisonsXV ! #FRAAFS pic.twitter.com/GzI7jQK3Ar
— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) November 8, 2018

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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Comments on RugbyPass

SC 13 minutes ago

Are other All Blacks better suited to number six than Tupou Vaa'i?

Scott Barrett played very well the back half of Super Rugby and was extremely good in the three playoff matches beating the Refs, Blues, and Chiefs and playing all 240 minutes.

You got to stop believing what Jeff Wilson, Mild Muliaina and Stephen Donald tells you on the Breakdown.

James Parsons and Bryn Hall are far better analysts on their show.

80 Go to comments

IkeaBoy 14 minutes ago

The British & Irish Lions are historic in name, but losers by nature

An Irishman with questionable loyalty to the English, Welsh and Scottish.

How utterly unusual and unheard of.

27 Go to comments

IkeaBoy 16 minutes ago

The British & Irish Lions are historic in name, but losers by nature

Are you asking me or telling me?

Keenan lost almost 10 kilos of water weight due to recent illness. He hasn't looked fully fit.

Kinghorn is not fully fit either.

Bringing 4 full backs would have been a touch indulgent.

27 Go to comments

SC 20 minutes ago

Are other All Blacks better suited to number six than Tupou Vaa'i?

I completely agree with you Toasteri.

With Sititi at 8, now that Savea is at 7, Va’ai is clearly the best 6 if the other options are Finau, Parker, Blackadder, Jacobson, and Papalii.

80 Go to comments

IkeaBoy 21 minutes ago

The British & Irish Lions are historic in name, but losers by nature

Still too many Brits there for my liking, Ed!

JOKE!

I like coffee and I like sugar but I don't like sugar in my coffee. Just one of those weird things. I've also been quite disgusted at some of the disrespect thrown at the Aussies.

Privately I think most of us have a soft spot for the underdog.

27 Go to comments

DarstedlyDan 23 minutes ago

New Zealanders may not understand, but in France Test rugby is the 'B movie'

Yep - that’s clearly completely unimportant to them 😝 I am pleased though to see that the ABs are also ignoring the rankings (despite the RWC draw impact) and fielding a B team this week - if not now, then when?

71 Go to comments

DarstedlyDan 25 minutes ago

New Zealanders may not understand, but in France Test rugby is the 'B movie'

Actually think the England team on tour is pretty good - and certainly way better than the France that is touring NZ.

As has been said, everyone knows France sends their B team. Unless NZR for some reason thought this time would be different (if they did, that was dumb), then playing one of the depleted BIL sides would have still been preferable, in that a big part of the A team still would tour.

Last time France were in NZ was 2018, so it wouldn’t surprise me if it is just NZs turn to suck the lemon.

And if it turns out NZR were pushing for France to tour, well, no one’s ever said rugby administrators were any good…

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BA 29 minutes ago

'Future is very, very bright': Junior Boks boss on superstar compared to Dupont

He looks the goods no doubt

2 Go to comments

Ed the Duck 33 minutes ago

The British & Irish Lions are historic in name, but losers by nature

No loyalty!

27 Go to comments

SC 33 minutes ago

Are other All Blacks better suited to number six than Tupou Vaa'i?

Va’ai and Holland are both loose locks and neither is the powerful scrummaging , nasty ruck cleanout lock needed on the tighthead side

Holland could become that lock as he matures and gets stronger.

80 Go to comments

Ed the Duck 34 minutes ago

Willie John McBride doubles down on Lions critique, suggests renaming

Well icky lad tells us it’s different for the ‘Irish’ lads, they’re dyed in the wool before they get their passports and going no where when they retire. Except to pick up their big rebate cheques from the Irish Revenue ofc…

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BA 34 minutes ago

Potential debutant as All Blacks make wholesale changes for final France Test

No he has played well before but not consistently or had a blinder and a few not so good ones

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Ed the Duck 36 minutes ago

Willie John McBride doubles down on Lions critique, suggests renaming

Oh we know…

27 Go to comments

SC 36 minutes ago

Are other All Blacks better suited to number six than Tupou Vaa'i?

Holland is the present Nick. He is already the best aerial loose lock in NZ, including Va’ai and has proven he compliments the two power tight locks in Barrett and Tuipulotu.

80 Go to comments

Ed the Duck 37 minutes ago

The British & Irish Lions are historic in name, but losers by nature

Any particular reason why you aren’t supporting the Lions with over half of the XV Irish then…? ☘️ 😉

27 Go to comments

Soliloquin 38 minutes ago

New Zealanders may not understand, but in France Test rugby is the 'B movie'

Italy just played without most of its stars in SA, and with a Lion Tour, the British and Irish teams sent their B teams. It happens too!

NZ played with B/C teams against Pacific Island countries, just like SA picked a B team to Argentina.

Isn’t that disrespectful?

It feels like the fact that rugby is not the #1 sport in France and that the international games are not the most important/the only important games in France are an insult to the countries where rugby is #1 and where international tests are the top priority.

The fact that other people don’t do it the way you do it do not diminish what you’re doing, and what France does not mean that NZ or SA models are bad.

Alterity is just a thing to learn.

71 Go to comments

BA 38 minutes ago

Southern hemisphere heavyweights to contest World Rugby U20s final

Okay okay jeesh it was just a little joke I made because young Riley looked a little “short” for what I imagine Bok locks to be ,but now I have been told he will growing 8 inches over the next 2 years with” Jungle Oats” and my cricket jab has been has been parried and countered i stand corrected

18 Go to comments

SC 44 minutes ago

Are other All Blacks better suited to number six than Tupou Vaa'i?

I would also add that Va’ai is as quick and athletic as Finau or Frizell and has a higher work rate than either and simply needs time to learn the proper running lines and the patterns of a 6 in the All Black structures.

80 Go to comments

Soliloquin 44 minutes ago

New Zealanders may not understand, but in France Test rugby is the 'B movie'

What’s so surprising to me is that this “lack of respect” is constantly a critic without any viable solution outside of “just change the Top14 to be just like us”, without ackowledging the power balance between the League and the Federation.

When some people (me included) talk about the idea of switching the tours in Autumn and alternate each year so that a full French team comes to the SH in November, it seems like no ones picks it up from NZ or other SH countries.

Why?

71 Go to comments

SC 46 minutes ago

Are other All Blacks better suited to number six than Tupou Vaa'i?

Hey Nick. Great article but I think you answer your own question regarding why split up Barrett-Va’ai.

Fabian Holland is the best forward to come out of NZ since Brodie Retallick and he is already too good not to start.

And by 2027 Holland will very likely be at prime Retallick level of lock .

So with Scott Barrett being a very good tight lock and more suited to that role than Va’ai, , Va’ai’s fate is to move to 6 or be a bench lock.

80 Go to comments

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