France team: Matthieu Jalibert snubbed as Fabien Galthie selects controversial pair for Six Nations opener against Wales
Fabien Galthie has named his matchday 23 to tackle Wales in the opening 2025 Six Nations match.
France head coach Fabien Galthie has named his matchday 23 to tackle Wales in the opening 2025 Six Nations match on Friday.
Les Bleus collide with Warren Gatland’s outfit at the Stade de France with Antoine Dupont skippering the side from scrum-half after missing last year’s edition of the tournament.
Dupont-Ntamack axis returns
He is partnered by Romain Ntamack in the halfbacks with the fly-half earning his first Test cap since sustaining an injury before the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
France are dealing with several injury concerns with Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Anthony Jelonch, Reda Wardi, Charles Ollivon and Damian Penaud all sidelined but Galthie has still named a strong team for the fixture.
With Penaud ruled out of the Six Nations opener, the right wing slot is filled by Pau star Théo Attissogbe while Louis Bielle-Biarrey has made a timely recovery from his injury to start on the left. Thomas Ramos shifts from the fly-half role, which he filled in November, to his usual position at full-back.
Meanwhile, Bordeaux’s Yoram Moefana and Toulouse’s Pierre-Louis Barassi start in the injury-stricken midfield with Émilien Gailleton providing additional cover off the bench.
With Dupont and Ntamack starting in the half-backs and Ramos providing further cover at number 10, Galthie has snubbed Matthieu Jalibert for a role in his matchday 23. The Bordeaux star infamously left the squad during the Autumn Nations Series after refusing to be a replacement for the clash against the All Blacks.
Instead, Racing 92 scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec has been selected along with Gailleton as the two backline players in the 6-2 split in favour of the forwards on the bench.
Into the pack and Grégory Alldritt takes his usual position at the back of the scrum with Paul Boudehent and François Cros starting on the flanks in the absence of Jelonch and Ollivon.
Thibaud Flament misses the opening game through injury which means that Alexandre Roumat will partner Emmanuel Meafou in the second row with tighthead prop Uini Atonio, hooker Peato Mauvaka and loosehead Jean-Baptiste Gros rounding out the team.
On the bench, Galthie has controversially opted to select Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou after the pair were arrested in Argentina last July over accusations of aggravated rape of a woman. The charges were dismissed in December last year but their continued selection has angered some fans.
They are joined in the replacements by fellow forwards Julien Marchand, Cyril Baille, Georges-Henri Colombe and Mickaël Guillard with Rabah Slimani having to wait at least another week to make his comeback to international rugby.
Six Nations Round One: Fixtures, kick-off times, referees and global TV channels
France team to face Wales
France: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Théo Attissogbe, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 François Cros, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Alexandre Roumat, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Hugo Auradou, 20 Mickaël Guillard, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Émilien Gailleton
Date: Friday, January 31
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Kick-off: 21:15 local (20:15 GMT)
Referee: Paul Williams (NZR)
Assistant Referee 1: Chris Busby (IRFU)
Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Way (RA)
TMO: Brett Cronan (RA)
FPRO: Damon Murphy (RA)
