Dupont trains but unavailable as France name team for Italy

France's head coach, Fabien Galthié, has unveiled his 23-man squad for the upcoming Pool A match against Italy at OL Stadium in Lyon on Friday, October 6th.

Charles Ollivon will captain the team for the 14th time, marking his first stint in the role since November 2022 when he led against Japan in Toulouse.

Maxime Lucu takes the scrum-half position, stepping in for injured captain Antoine Dupont. He will partner flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert, a combination that hasn't been seen since their two-test tour of Japan in July 2022. Star halfback Dupont has returned to training but is currently unavailable for selection.

It will only be the third time since Dupont's international debut in 2017 that France will face Italy without his presence. On the previous two occasions, France emerged victorious 34-17 in Marseille in 2018 and 36-5 in Paris in November 2020.

Damian Penaud enters the match as a standout performer in 2023, having notched up the highest number of tries scored with an impressive tally of 12. He's currently on a six-game try-scoring streak, marking the longest such streak of his career. He is also France's third all-time leading try-scorer, with 33 tries to his name, trailing only Serge Blanco (38) and Vincent Clerc (34).

Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who made his debut for France against Scotland in Edinburgh earlier this year, takes the left wing slot ahead of Gabin Villiere. He has scored four tries in just five tests.

France top Pool A and need just a draw to progress. A win for Italy, without 2 France bonus points (losing within seven and for scoring four tries), could see the hosts knocked out.

FRANCE TEAM TO PLAY ITALY

1 Cyril Baille

2 Peato Mauvaka

3 Uini Atonio

4 Cameron Woki

5 Thibaud Flament

6 Anthony Jelonch

7 Charles Ollivon (c)

8 Gregory Alldritt

9 Maxime Lucu

10 Matthieu Jalibert

11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey

12 Jonathan Danty

13 Gael Fickou

14 Damian Penaud

15 Thomas Ramos

Replacements:

16 Pierre Bourgarit

17 Reda Wardi

18 Dorian Aldegheri

19 Romain Taofifenua

20 Francois Cros

21 Baptiste Couilloud

22 Yoram Moefana

23 Melvyn Jaminet

Earlier, Italy named their team: