France to get off to solid Autumn Nations Series start

Colin Newboult

It is a big season for France. Ever since Fabien Galthie took over at the end of the 2019 World Cup, they have shown plenty of promise.

The head coach has brought in several youngsters, moulded a powerful and deep squad, yet nothing tangible has really come from it. Although they have produced some wonderful performances in that time, silverware has been distinctly lacking from their cabinet.

Galthie and co. will no doubt want to change that in 2022 when the Six Nations begins, but the groundwork needs to be laid over the next month in the Autumn Nations Series, starting with their clash against Argentina.

It is a very strong side that has been named for Saturday’s game and it almost looks experienced and established, in comparison to the callow team that took to the field in their first Six Nations match back in 2020.

Apart from Thibaud Flament, who makes his debut, everyone has proven themselves to be capable Test performers and that is why the pressure will no doubt increase should they not play to their potential against Los Pumas, Georgia and New Zealand.

The first two matches should really be a foregone conclusion but they are both vital games as they build towards the big one at the end of the month.

France have had their battles in the past against the Argentines, but they should really be far too good for Mario Ledesma’s charges this time around.

After initially making a positive impact, Ledesma failed to guide his team through the group stages of the World Cup. There was then a remarkable upturn as they somehow beat the All Blacks for the first ever, despite no game time previous to that, but it has all gone downhill since then.

Los Pumas succumbed to six successive defeats in the Rugby Championship and were never close in any of their matches. It has admittedly been hard for them – they have had to sacrifice more than most during the Covid pandemic and have not played a home game for over two years – but Ledesma is coming under more and more pressure.

With the changes that are made from week-to-week, they have very little continuity, while the front five just aren’t quite producing at the moment. Despite some talented locks and back-rows, Argentina certainly don’t have the quality of props they used to have and that is hampering the set-piece.

As a result, they are lacking control at half-back, with Nicolas Sanchez seemingly past his best, and those weaknesses are consistently being exploited.

They have obviously had more time on the field than their French counterparts recently but, even accounting for that, it would be a surprise should the visitors get a result in Paris.

Last time they met

It proved to be a tight and tense World Cup clash in 2019 as France went a big step towards securing their quarter-final place and in the process severely dented Argentina’s hopes. Les Bleus were the dominant team in the opening period, touching down twice via Gael Fickou and Antoine Dupont to open up a comfortable lead. However, Los Pumas fought back through Guido Petti and Julian Montoya scores and actually went ahead as Benjamin Urdapilleta kicked successive three-pointers, but Camille Lopez’s drop-goal snatched the win for the French.

What they said

France centre Gael Fickou has backed his midfield partner Romain Ntamack to shine in his new position.

With Matthieu Jalibert starting at fly-half, head coach Galthie has decided to move the Toulouse player into the centres and Fickou believes he will adapt well.

“He’s a very gifted player who can play at 10 and 12,” Fickou told a press conference. “There’s no problem, and if we play together this weekend it will go well.

“Our combination in training is going well. We’ve played a lot together. He kicks very well, he has a go and is very strong defensively.

“He’s a complete player which makes him a very good player who can play 10 or 12. He has all the quality needed.”

Meanwhile, Argentina’s Jeronimo de la Fuente praised the quality of the French side but believes they can cause an upset in Paris.

“The French team is a very complete team, one of the best in the world, but we know that if we attack them with our weapons we can break them,” he said.

“The team is training very well, wanting to have this opportunity to play together again and to face a team like France.”

De la Fuente admits that fatigue is an issue following the Rugby Championship but insists that playing in an Argentine jersey means they will give their all.

“The physical and mental exhaustion at this time of year, with a competition like the Rugby Championship and also playing for our clubs, is a challenge, but entering the field with the Los Pumas jersey has an additional value,” he added.

Players to watch

Injury and the Top 14 play-offs has deprived Romain Ntamack of featuring for France too much over the past year but he starts against Argentina. However, instead of being at fly-half, he is alongside the outstanding Matthieu Jalibert at centre. It is the first time since his debut in 2019 that Ntamack has started at centre and it is a move from Galthie which many will support. Both are sublime players and, with captain Antoine Dupont also in attendance, they form an exciting playmaking trio.

Up front, there are not too many surprises, although it is a big game for Anthony Jelonch, who is selected ahead of Gregory Alldritt after a fine series in Australia. Jelonch doesn’t have the power and gain line presence of Alldritt, but his work ethic is outstanding and he adds another significant breakdown threat.

Jelonch packs down behind Test rookie Thibaud Flament, with the lock’s remarkable story culminating in an international debut. A few years ago, Flament was a 6ft 8in fifth choice fly-half at Loughborough but then moved to the second-row and began his incredible journey to becoming a French representative. He signed for Wasps in 2019 before leaving the Premiership and joining Toulouse a year later, where he has flourished and become a regular in their line-up.

As a result, France should have too much quality for their visitors, but Los Pumas do have a number of exciting individuals who have something to prove. One of those is Facundo Isa, a number eight with immense talent that hasn’t quite dominated as he should have done at international level.

He has also not necessarily been a favourite of Ledesma’s after leaving the Jaguares to move to France back in 2016. Once rules were changed to allow the head coach to pick overseas-based players, Isa came back in, but the back-row was bizarrely dropped for the World Cup. Argentina’s boss was similarly reluctant to select him in 2020 but, once that stubbornness subsided, the 28-year-old showed his quality and, injury-depending, has been an ever-present since then. A knee injury deprived him of featuring in most of the Rugby Championship but he is back and will add quality at the base of the scrum.

Isa will hope for solid ball in the set-piece so he can pick up and drive into the heart of the French defence, which means a lot rests on prop Thomas Gallo, who makes his first start for his country. Another gifted individual, he shot to prominence during the 2019 World Rugby U20 Championship, scoring a stunning individual try against – funnily enough – France’s age-grade side. He is exceptional in the loose and has impressed for Benetton in the United Rugby Championship this season, but the key for him is his scrummaging work. Gallo is improving in that area but it will be a big ask for him against a fearsome Les Bleus pack on Saturday.

Main head-to-head

With Isa returning to the XV, we really like that Argentina back-row, but Marcos Kremer arguably has the biggest job of the three against the outstanding Cameron Woki. Both teams employ similar set-ups in the lineout, naming three out-and-out jumpers, so it will intriguing to see who comes out on top.

Kremer has been a top-class performer for a few years now and is an excellent all-round forward, but he didn’t have the best time of it in the Rugby Championship and was particularly criticised for his display in the 27-8 defeat to Australia. He recovered to put in some solid shifts during the rest of the tournament but the back five forward will seek better performances on their European tour,

As for Woki, he exploded onto the scene with an outstanding effort against England in the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup final, where the Bordeaux man completely dismantled the hosts’ lineout. The flanker, rather oddly, only had eight minutes in the next Six Nations, but was handed an opportunity in Australia and excelled.

The duo are slightly different players, with Woki the rangy runner with deft skills who is better in broken field, in comparison to the more physical Kremer that will be a gain line presence at close quarters, but they do similar jobs for their respective teams in the set-piece. And as ever, that lineout battle will be crucial.

Prediction

Argentina may well be battle-hardened following the Rugby Championship – while Les Bleus are playing their first game of the season – but it is a familiar-looking line-up for the hosts. There is plenty of experience and quality there now, with the Dupont-Jalibert-Ntamack axis particularly exciting, and they should prevail pretty comfortably. France by 15 points.

Previous results

2019: France won 23-21 in Chofu
2018: France won 28-13 in Lille
2016: France won 27-0 in Tucuman
2016: Argentina won 30-19 in Tucuman
2014: Argentina won 18-13 in Paris
2012: France won 39-22 in Lille
2012: France won 49-10 in Tucuman
2012: Argentina won 23-20 in Cordoba

The teams

France: 15 Melvyn Jaminet, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Romain Ntamack, 11 Gabin Villiere, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Anthony Jelonch, 7 Cameron Woki, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Mohamed Haouas, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Demba Bamba, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Gregory Alldritt, 21 Sekou Macalou, 22 Maxime Lucu, 23 Jonathan Danty

Argentina: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matías Moroni, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Gómez Kodela, 2 Julián Montoya (c), 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Rodrigo Martínez, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Lucas Paulos, 20 Juan Martín González, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Nicolás Sánchez, 23 Lucio Cinti

Date: Saturday, November 6
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Kick-off: 21:00 local (20:00 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Luke Pearce (England), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

 

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