FRANCE HEAD COACH Fabien Galthie on Thursday handed debuts to lock Thomas Jolmes and number eight Yoan Tanga for the first rugby Test against Japan in Toyota on Saturday.
The 2023 World Cup hosts have brought a young squad to Japan with several of the players who led them to the Six Nations Grand Slam this season rested.
Flanker Charles Ollivon returns to captain the side after missing the Six Nations through injury.
Several of Galthie’s starting line-up played in the Barbarians’ 52-21 thrashing of England at Twickenham two weeks ago.
The coach said he wants to see his young side “grab the opportunity” in a France jersey.
“It’s a hungry team,” said Galthie.
“Everything is possible. We often tell the players when they come into the locker room ‘it is you who takes the shirt’. We are here to put out and prepare the best team but it is you who are the authors of your own destiny.”
Galthie said he had “no doubts” that flanker Ollivon was ready to resume the captaincy after suffering a knee injury in June 2021.
He played a key part in taking Toulon to the European Challenge Cup final last month and impressed while leading the Barbarians.
“He is very comfortable, he has regained his abilities and he is stringing together some matches,” Galthie said.
“He has already proved himself with the game against England and he has a second captaincy and a new chapter with the France team.”
Japan head coach Jamie Joseph made six changes from the side that thrashed Uruguay 43-7 last weekend for his team’s “massive challenge” against France.
Three players have been ruled out because of Covid, with scrum-half Naoto Saito, hooker Shota Horie and full-back Ryuji Noguchi all unavailable.
Temperatures are forecast to soar to 35 degrees Celsius by kick-off time in steamy Toyota.
Joseph admitted his players will find it tough to deal with the heatwave conditions that have seen record June temperatures in Japan this week, but believes France “will find it even more challenging”.
“We’ve got to keep the game as fast as possible and back our ability to handle the heat a little bit better,” said Joseph as he named his team.
“No doubt France will have tactics and ways of trying to slow the game up so that they can get plenty of rest.”
Joseph brought World Cup veterans Wimpie van der Walt and Ryohei Yamanaka back into the starting line-up as Japan look to get some game time under their belts.
Covid disruptions mean the 2019 World Cup hosts have played only eight Test matches since reaching the quarter-finals on home soil two-and-a-half years ago.
“It’s a starting point for us,” said Joseph.
“We’re way behind in terms of Test matches together, and then that’s compounded by the fact that some of our key players are out through injury.”
South African-born wing Gerhard van den Heever keeps his starting place for Japan after winning his first cap at the age of 33 and scoring last week against Uruguay.
Centre Dylan Riley, who also scored against the South Americans, wins his sixth cap.
“Our game plan is to keep the ball in play and attack them any chance that we’ve got, but being mindful that we’ve got to get a good balance,” said Joseph.
“The ball is going to be slippery, there’s going to be mistakes, so getting that balance right will be crucial for our performance.”
France team manager Rafael Ibanez said Japan were “a team that plays exciting rugby, full of energy.”
“It will require us to adapt and we expect a tough match,” he said.
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