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France name team to face England

By Online Editors

30 Jan 2020

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

France have named Romain Ntamack at fly-half for Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations opener against England in Paris.

Ntamack joins Antonie Dupont at half-back after edging Matthieu Jalibert for the role of the conductor in chief. Open side Charles Ollivon captains the first team named by new head coach Fabien Galthie.

France’s dangerman is outside centre Virimi Vakatawa, who has been in devastating form for Racing 92 this season.

The Montpellier pair full-back Anthony Bouthier and prop Mohamed Haouas will make their Test debuts at the Stade de France.

Eight players from the World Cup quarter-final defeat to Wales have made Galthie’s XV. They are second row Bernard Le Roux, flanker and now captain Ollivon, No8 Gregory Alldritt, half-backs Antoine Dupont and Ntamack, centres Gael Fickou and Vakatawa, and winger Damian Penaud.

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? Voici votre #XVdeFrance Masculin pour le crunch ! #NeFaisonsXV #FRAANG pic.twitter.com/Lr9Vy2Dyul
— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) January 30, 2020

FRANCE (vs England, Sunday)

15. Bouthier; 14. Thomas, 13. Vakatawa, 12. Fickou, 11. Penaud; 10. Ntamack, 9. Dupont; 1. Baille, 2. Marchand, 3. Haouas, 4. Le Roux, 5. Willemse, 6. Cros, 7. Ollivon (capt), 8. Alldritt. Reps: 16. Mauvaka, 17. Poirot, 18. Bamba, 19. Palu, 20. Woki, 21. Serin, 22. Jalibert, 23. Rattez.

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Comments on RugbyPass

Bjs 1 hour ago

Van der Flier Lions cut creates ripples with Ireland but Ryan gets late reward

What a mug. Farrell has selected Porter who has been inferior to Genge all tour, Ryan who has been 4th best lock at best, Aki who has been poor, Lowe arguably the most disappointing player on tour, faz has played the Gatland card and picked his favourites from his previous working relationships throughout the tour

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Rob 1 hour ago

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He has 32 caps, the limit is 25

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JP 1 hour ago

Van der Flier Lions cut creates ripples with Ireland but Ryan gets late reward

WPOTY. Nothing else needs saying. None of the other back rows come within a mile of him.

Even as a Leinster fan I hope he tells Farrell to shove it and goes off to someone like Bordeaux to earn an absolute fortune.

Farrell has clearly been setting the ground for the England job with his selections. English wherever possible even where far better options available. Sooner he leaves the better.

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JH 2 hours ago

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“Superstar” is a bit of a stretch.

One of the great wasted talents more likely. Maybe if he’d stuck with a better system.

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JH 2 hours ago

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PM 2 hours ago

Van der Flier Lions cut creates ripples with Ireland but Ryan gets late reward

For me, this Lions tour has lacked the normal excitement. The games and style have been “workmanlike” and whilst the defence has been outstanding, the attack has been a little muted compared to the past.

Not sure if that’s the way things are changing, the coaches, the players/squad but it doesn’t feel like we have seen the fireworks of the past.

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d 2 hours ago

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I’m surprised that France hasn’t been more focused on the WRWC; at the last one they should have been contending for the final after missing an easy winning penalty against the Black Ferns in the semis.

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PM 2 hours ago

Van der Flier Lions cut creates ripples with Ireland but Ryan gets late reward

When you look at his contributions over the last 3 tours, Tom Curry has put himself in the debate for “ONE OF” the best Lions opensides. VdF has been unfortunate to be competing at the same time, so is not a reflection on him, just bad timing of who you were up against.

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PM 2 hours ago

Premiership free-for-all to sign Louis Rees-Zammit

I think we will learn a lot about LRZ when his eventual team is announced. If it’s Newcastle or France, it was all about the money, if it’s anyone else, you’ll need to take a deeper look at why he chose them.

It’s hard to see how Bath, Sarries or Leicester can afford him and wing is not a position that either Sale or Northampton need to strengthen per se, so it leaves you with the obvious candidates.

Still feel Top 14 is the likely destination over the Premiership but we’ll see.

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Tom 3 hours ago

Premiership free-for-all to sign Louis Rees-Zammit

Can't wait for the PREM final at the Alliance stadium!! #whataloadofb*llcks

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Tom 3 hours ago

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There are adverts embedded in the page. They write the articles in such a way that there is a load of irrelevant rubbish at the top which pushes the actual content you want to read further down the page so you have to scroll past the advert to read it. Every article is the same, some clickbaity, ambiguous title which doesn't refer to any players by name so you have to click on the article, then the players name won't be revealed until you've scrolled down past an advert. Sometimes when they get really desperate for clicks they'll even include a misleading picture of someone like Owen Farrell with some lesser known England players in the background and a title like “England star announced shock retirement!” and after you've clicked on the article and scrolled down past multiple adverts you'll find it was some guy in the background of the Owen Farrell photo who’s 39 years old and was capped one by England in 2009.

I get that it's their chosen business model which means their content is free to read but it's still disingenuous.

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DJ 3 hours ago

Premiership free-for-all to sign Louis Rees-Zammit

It’s PREM Clubs - not Premiership Clubs. I was corrected by the RugbyPass Editors the other day…

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DJ 3 hours ago

Louis Rees-Zammit puts timeline on move after 'unbelievable' interest

If LRZ signs for a non Welsh Club, does he have enough Test Caps to be allowed to be pick for the National side? I thought there were certain requirements but I forget what they are.

In reality though, he is only saying that & will be using whichever Club he signs for to bide his time until he is off to the Rubbish360 lark.

3 Go to comments

Tom 3 hours ago

Van der Flier Lions cut creates ripples with Ireland but Ryan gets late reward

“By leaving Josh van der Flier out of all three of his Lions Test squads, Farrell has cast a pall over Ireland’s best openside”

Not really mate, there are some good players from the other nations who are allowed to be selected over Irish players. It's the BIL not IL.

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SK 4 hours ago

Louis Rees-Zammit puts timeline on move after 'unbelievable' interest

His will now be seen as a cautionary tale for anyone considering an NFL switch. Good to see him back but he will have alot of work to do to regain his best form

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NB 4 hours ago

Pocket rockets who lit up Junior Boks’ WC triumph show stars are aligned in SA game

And there is so much less time to receover against these scatback types too. Once they are gone it’s very hard to stop them in space.

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NB 4 hours ago

Pocket rockets who lit up Junior Boks’ WC triumph show stars are aligned in SA game

Yep that would be the most positive response!

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NB 4 hours ago

Pocket rockets who lit up Junior Boks’ WC triumph show stars are aligned in SA game

I think what has surprised me the most is where the talent is playing on the field. I thought there would alwasy be plenty of good back three’s and back row’s but there is a fund of excellent front rowers too!

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YeowNotEven 5 hours ago

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Don’t be a hollywood then.

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LONG READ

LONG READ Pocket rockets who lit up Junior Boks’ WC triumph show stars are aligned in SA game Pocket rockets who lit up Junior Boks’ WC triumph show stars are aligned in SA game

France name team to face England

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