ROMAIN NTAMACK WILL partner Toulouse teammate Antoine Dupont at half-back for France in their opening Nations Championship Test on home soil against Fiji, it was announced Thursday.
Coach Fabien Galthié unveiled France’s most trusted halfback pairing for the first time since March 2025, the duo having each suffered injuries since then.
It will be the 30th time that Dupont and Ntamack, aligned regularly at club level with Toulouse, match up as scrum-half and fly-half.
After opening their campaign against Fiji on Saturday, France go on to host South Africa six days later and conclude against Argentina on 21 November, with both matches at the Stade de France.
France head up the Northern Hemisphere standings going into the business end of the Nations Championship, with Scotland, England and Ireland snapping at their heels.
France’s sole loss in the opening away fixtures in July was a two-point defeat by New Zealand. Galthié’s side followed that up by twice scoring 42 points in wins over Australia and Japan.
Dupont’s Toulouse teammate François Cros, normally a blindside flanker, was named as No 8, with Florian Verhaeghe and Mickael Guillard packing down in the second row.
Kalvin Gourgues gets a first start, while tighthead prop Sipili Falatea and flanker Cameron Woki get first call-ups since 2021 and 2023 respectively.
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Meanwhile, Wales head coach Steve Tandy has named a powerful centre partnership of Eddie James and Max Llewellyn to line up against Japan in the Nations Championship on Saturday.
The pair will be one of the biggest centre combinations in Wales’s history.
According to the official Welsh Rugby Union website, Llewellyn stands at 6 feet 6 inches (198 centimetres) tall and weighs 107 kilograms. James is five centimetres shorter and 4kg lighter.
Max Llewellyn. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Tandy has made seven changes from the 43-0 defeat to South Africa in July.
“There’s lots of competition for positions within the squad, which is where we want to be,” said Tandy.
“We’re excited to be back at home. We want to go out there on Saturday, put our mark on the match and start the next phase in our Nations Championship campaign strongly.”
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Ntamack to partner Dupont in France team for Fiji clash
ROMAIN NTAMACK WILL partner Toulouse teammate Antoine Dupont at half-back for France in their opening Nations Championship Test on home soil against Fiji, it was announced Thursday.
Coach Fabien Galthié unveiled France’s most trusted halfback pairing for the first time since March 2025, the duo having each suffered injuries since then.
It will be the 30th time that Dupont and Ntamack, aligned regularly at club level with Toulouse, match up as scrum-half and fly-half.
After opening their campaign against Fiji on Saturday, France go on to host South Africa six days later and conclude against Argentina on 21 November, with both matches at the Stade de France.
France head up the Northern Hemisphere standings going into the business end of the Nations Championship, with Scotland, England and Ireland snapping at their heels.
France’s sole loss in the opening away fixtures in July was a two-point defeat by New Zealand. Galthié’s side followed that up by twice scoring 42 points in wins over Australia and Japan.
Dupont’s Toulouse teammate François Cros, normally a blindside flanker, was named as No 8, with Florian Verhaeghe and Mickael Guillard packing down in the second row.
Kalvin Gourgues gets a first start, while tighthead prop Sipili Falatea and flanker Cameron Woki get first call-ups since 2021 and 2023 respectively.
Meanwhile, Wales head coach Steve Tandy has named a powerful centre partnership of Eddie James and Max Llewellyn to line up against Japan in the Nations Championship on Saturday.
The pair will be one of the biggest centre combinations in Wales’s history.
According to the official Welsh Rugby Union website, Llewellyn stands at 6 feet 6 inches (198 centimetres) tall and weighs 107 kilograms. James is five centimetres shorter and 4kg lighter.
Tandy has made seven changes from the 43-0 defeat to South Africa in July.
“There’s lots of competition for positions within the squad, which is where we want to be,” said Tandy.
“We’re excited to be back at home. We want to go out there on Saturday, put our mark on the match and start the next phase in our Nations Championship campaign strongly.”
– © AFP 2026
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France Nations Championship Selection