Preview: France v Japan

France will be desperate to end a run of five international losses when they run out to take on Japan at U Arena in Nanterre on Saturday.

Four defeats to South Africa and one to New Zealand has put the pressure on Guy Novès, making this a must-win for the sake of his tenure.

Japan, who were also on a poor recent run, at least enter this match with some confidence after beating Tonga 39-6 last week in Toulouse. And Jamie Joseph’s side will be sniffing a huge upset against a Tier 1 side this week, something they proved in 2015 they are capable of.

Last Saturday’s win over Tonga was their best performance to date under Joseph, with their defence equally as impressive as their attack. They scored five tries, two of which came from Lomano Lava Lemeki, and will have their tails up against a much-changed les Bleus line-up.

France were hoping to put their recent tough run that started in June behind them when they hosted an out-of-form South Africa last time out, but in an uninspired showing they came up just short with neither side taking many positives from the game. Both look short on ideas.

Les Bleus have faced the Brave Blossoms just three times before and ran out winners in each of those games, the most recent coming in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Francois Trinh-Duc started that game in Albany and has a big opportunity to press his case ahead of the Six Nations.

But this Japan side defensively under John Plumtree look a tough nut to crack and if the visitors can frustrate their hosts in the first period the crowd could follow suit. On paper France should win with some to spare but we know from history, write off Japan if you dare.

Players to watch:

For France: Making his debut on the wing Gabriel Lacroix is a real talent. He showed against New Zealand in the midweek match what he can do and will be desperate to make a statement this Saturday. He has speed to burn and should feed off the underrated centre Henry Chavancy.

For Japan: Such a threat in possession, Lomano Lemeki needs to get his hands on the ball as much as possible if Japan are to trouble the French. He scored two last week and alongside Amanaki Mafi and Michael Leitch, this trio are key to the Brave Blossoms’ hopes in Nanterre.

Head-to-head: We go to the number eights here where Louis Picamoles and Amanaki Mafi clash. These are two of the most devastating carriers in the world game and we can’t wait to see them in action. Also keep a close eye on debutant Sekou Macalou going up against Michael Leitch.

Previous results:

2011: France won 47-21 in Albany
2003: France won 51-29 in Townsville
1973: France won 30-18 in Bordeaux

Prediction: This is going to be much closer than the bookmakers predict as we see Japan being a real threat. France to win by eight.

The teams:

France: 15 Scott Spedding, 14 Gabriel Lacroix, 13 Damian Penaud, 12 Henry Chavancy, 11 Teddy Thomas, 10 Francois Trinh-Duc, 9 Baptiste Serin, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Sekou Macalou, 6 Judicaël Cancoriet, 5 Sébastien Vahaamahina, 4 Romain Taofifenua, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado (c), 1 Jefferson Poirot
Replacements: 16 Camille Chat, 17 Daniel Kotze, 18 Sebastien Taofifenua, 19 Paul Jedrasiak, 20 Fabien Sanconnie, 21 Antoine Dupont, 22 Mathieu Bastareaud, 23 Hugo Bonneval

Japan: 15 Kotaro Matsushima, 14 Lomano Lemeki, 13 Timothy Lafaele, 12 Harumichi Tatekawa, 11 Kenki Fukuoka, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Yutaka Nagare, 8 Amanaki Mafi, 7 Michael Leitch (c), 6 Kazuki Himeno, 5 Shinya Makabe, 4 Wimpie van der Walt, 3 Jiwon Koo, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Keita Inagaki
Replacements: 16 Atsushi Sakate, 17 Shintaro Ishihara, 18 Asaeli Ai Valu, 19 Yoshitaka Tokunaga, 20 Fetuani Lautami, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Sione Teaupa, 23 Yoshikazu Fujita

Date: Saturday, November 25
Venue: U Arena, Nanterre
Kick-off: 21:00 local (20:00 GMT)
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Joy Neville (Ireland)
TMO: Sean Davey (England)