France team: Winners and losers as fly-half switch up potentially ‘counterproductive’ while English-born winger given ‘opportunity to excel’
France team: Winners and losers as fly-half switch up potentially 'counterproductive' while English-born winger given 'opportunity to excel'
Fabian Galthie has named a much-changed France XV to face the Wallabies in the second round of the Nations Championship.
Here are our winners and losers from the selection.
Winners
Romain Ntamack: The Toulouse fly-half is back in the number 10 shirt after beating Montpellier in the Top 14 final at the end of June. He shifts Matthieu Jalibert out to full-back after last appearing for France in the Autumn Nations Series in November 2025. Many suggested he would have trouble getting back into the squad after Jalibert’s outstanding form over the past year, but he clearly has credit in the bank with the boss. His club teammate Antoine Dupont will not take to the field with him due to injury, so it will be fascinating to see how he links up with the incredibly impressive Maxime Lucu.
Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang: The English-born and raised winger will make his debut for France, taking his place on the wing while Damian Penaud is rested. “My next ambition is to be capped in XVs. It would be a hell of a journey,” he told the BBC after winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Well, now with the absence of Penaud and, of course, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, he has the opportunity to excel in the 15-man international game.
Moses Alo-Emile: The powerful prop has played 30 games for Stade Français this season and will be rewarded with his first international cap. The one-club man is set to pack down against the country of his birth, nine years after he finished at Brisbane State High School and moved to France to join his brother Paul at the Stade Francais club.
Peato Mauvaka: Returning to the French side just two weeks after he scored a brace in the Top 14 final, the talented hooker is ushered straight into the starting line-up. His try-scoring form saw him score ten tries in his last eight appearances for Toulouse – form that France will want him to emulate on Saturday.
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Losers
Kalvin Gourgues: Despite being widely considered one of France’s most exciting talents, the 21-year-old has found that he still cannot get into the starting team. Fabien Brau-Boirie and Yoram Moefana currently have a monopoly on the French midfield, and the Toulouse man currently cannot get on the board. Arriving from Top 14 final duty, he takes his place on the bench after playing 35 games for club and country this season, so perhaps the limited involvement could do his body some good.
Matthieu Jalibert: He’s still in the starting team, but being moved from fly-half to the less familiar full-back position won’t best please him. He’s arguably been one of the best players in the world this season, and to almost limit his impact feels odd. Galthie trusts Ntamack to lead the backline, but considering the half-back combination of Lucu and Jalibert is so well tested, the switch-up feels counterproductive. Not to mention, Jalibert has not started a game at full-back since 2021 in the Top 14 against Pau.
Nolann Le Garrec: You have to feel sorry for him at this point. Despite there being no Dupont in the squad, he can only settle for limited minutes from the bench. Lucu, being in the form of his life, demands the number nine shirt in Dupont’s absence, but that takes nothing away from the sheer quality of Le Garrec. In fact, it could be argued that the 24-year-old strolls into almost every other international side in the world. Sadly for him, he is competing with two other scrum-halves who DO stroll into any other international team.
Michael Guillard: One of France’s most impressive players in this year’s Six Nations, he’s been dropped from the squad after only a replacement showing in the first match – albeit 61 minutes’ worth. Whether it’s a straight drop or just being rested, he will be disappointed not to get on the field on Saturday.