ANTOINE DUPONT CAPTAINS France for their Six Nations opener against Wales on Friday night after missing last seasonโs tournament due to his Olympic Sevens commitments.
Scrum-half Dupont is partnered at half-back by Toulouse team-mate Romain Ntamack in five changes from Les Bleusโ last game, Novemberโs win over Argentina.
Ntamack makes his first Test appearance since August 2023 having sustained two long-term injuries.
๐๐ฅ Vendredi, vos Bleus lanceront ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐จ๐ข ๐๐๐ฌ #๐๐ข๐ฑ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ au @StadeFrance ! ๐ซ๐ท๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ#XVdeFrance #NeFaisonsXV #FRAGAL pic.twitter.com/vUaNiNhSyd
โ France Rugby (@FranceRugby) January 29, 2025
France have won 15 out of 19 Six Nations games with Dupont and Ntamack starting, including the run to the 2022 Grand Slam title.
Among the other alterations are Theo Attissogbe coming in on the right wing owing to an injury to Damian Penaud.
On the opposite flank is Penaudโs fellow Bordeaux-Begles flyer in Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who has scored 16 tries for club and country this season.
In midfield, Pierre-Louis Barassi replaces the injured Gael Fickou and last yearโs Six Nations skipper Gregory Alldritt is at No 8 instead of Ollivon.
Alexandre Roumat comes in for Flament at lock.
France
15. Thomas Ramos
14. Theo Attissogbe
13. Pierre-Louis Barassi
12. Yoram Moefana
11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey
10. Romain Ntamack
9. Antoine Dupont (capt)
1. Jean-Baptiste Gros
2. Peato Mauvaka
3. Uini Atonio
4. Alexandre Roumant
5. Emmanuel Meafou
6. Francois Cros
7. Paul Boudehent
8. Gregory Alldritt
Replacements:
16. Julien Marchand
17. Cyril Baille
18. Georges-Henri Colombe
19. Hugo Auradou
20. Mickael Guillard
21. Oscar Jegou
22. Nolann Le Garrec
23. Emilien Gailleton
France by at least 50
@Seanie: jeez id be throwing a fiver on France beating the Toulouse vs Leicester tigers score line ..
@Stuart: im only joking hope wales can give them some kind off game
@Seanie: 51-0 is the record winning margin in that fixture I believe. Could that be broken? Very unlikely as they were the amateur to professional transition years
Wales by at least 25
@Kevin: To lose by 25 maybe, Wales are as much use as a Woodpecker with a rubber beak !
@Caballo Blanco: Now Caballo i wasent being serious now caballo
@Kevin: I thought as much, possibly typed after a few lunchtime beverages lol.
France by at least 30
@Michael Keaveny: I think so, especially if they play like Bordeaux and Toulouseโฆ
France are the team to beat this year
@Simon Dwyer: They were the team to beat the last two years alsoโฆ..but
@Simon Dwyer: Ireland are the team to beat
@anthony davoren: Dupont is back though. Heโs probably worth 10-15 points a game!
France by at least 40
England by 100
Jalibert paying the price for leaving the squad in the Autumn internationals because he refused to be a replacement for the NZ gameโฆ
The team to beat this Six Nations
Y is Cyril baille out of favour
@Gary Galligan: coming back from a short injury I believe.
@niall kelly: He was out for six months with a busted ankle.
@niall kelly: short like 8 months out