La Rochelle backrow forward Gregory Alldritt will captain France against Fiji in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup warm-up against Fiji in Nantes as Antonie Hastoy takes over at fly-half for the injured Romain Ntamack.
Montpellier lock Paul Willemse and Toulouse flanker Francois Cros are recalled by the tournament hosts from injury in a side that shows 13 changes from the team that started against Scotland last weekend.
“It’s the perfect match, at the right time, to get back into the heat of battle,” said France coach Fabien Galthie who is due to name his 33-man World Cup squad next Monday.
“We know this terrific opponent (Fiji) well. They almost all play in France, they are magnificent rugby players.”
Hastoy, La Rochelle’s playmaker in the Champions Cup final win over Leinster in May, comes in at fly-half for Ntamack, who has been ruled out of the World Cup with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament sustained in last week’s 30-27 win over Scotland.
“It’s inherent in our sport,” Galthie said of Ntamack’s untimely injury. “We love it very much, but there’s something particular about it: at any moment you can disappear.
“You can be the best player in the world at one moment and the next moment be nothing.
“We were fortunate to have ‘good timing’ on this dark Monday. We were able to announce the bad news when we were together and absorb this monumental slap at the same time.
“That’s part of the World Cup, of living together, of what we had prepared for. Afterwards we box it up, digest it and pick ourselves up.”
– ‘It’s their destiny’ –
Hastoy, capped three times, gets the nod ahead of Bordeaux-Begles stand-off Matthieu Jalibert, and will pair up with scrum-half Maxime Lucu for the first time.
“It’s their destiny, it’s their moment. They have to believe in themselves,” Galthie said of the unexpected opportunity presented to his reserve fly-halves.
“Antoine has been with us since the tour of Australia two years ago. He has fewer caps than Romain or Matthieu but he’s gained lots of experience.”
Toulouse full-back Melvyn Jaminet is set for his first France start since a Grand Slam-clinching 25-13 victory over England at last year’s Six Nations. Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Yoram Moefana start on the wings.
Centre Arthur Vincent — who made his first international appearance in over two injury-plagued years in the 25-21 loss to Scotland on August 5 — will line up alongside Jonathan Danty, one of just two players to keep his place from a week ago along with Alldritt.
France will have their final warm-up game against Australia at the Stade de France next weekend. They open the World Cup against New Zealand on September 8.
France (15-1)
Melvyn Jaminet; Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Jonathan Danty, Arthur Vincent, Yoram Moefana; Antoine Hastoy, Maxime Lucu; Gregory Alldritt (capt), Dylan Cretin, Francois Cros; Paul Willemse, Florian Verhaeghe; Uini Atonio, Peato Mauvaka, Reda Wardi
Replacements: Pierre Bourgarit, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Thomas Laclayat, Bastien Chalureau, Thibaud Flament, Sekou Macalou, Baptiste Serin, Matthieu Jalibert
