Overview
- Fabien Galthié confirmed Nolann Le Garrec at scrum-half alongside Romain Ntamack, with Gaël Fickou captaining in Antoine Dupont’s absence.
- France selected a six-forwards, two-backs bench that mirrors South Africa’s Bomb Squad approach, with Maxime Lucu among the replacements.
- Notable selections include Mickaël Guillard at No 8 ahead of Grégory Alldritt, rookie props Baptiste Erdocio and Régis Montagne starting, and Emmanuel Meafou partnering Thibaud Flament at lock.
- Dupont has trained with the squad this week but is not available for the Test, with indications he will return to club action after the November internationals.
- The match kicks off Saturday at 22:10 SAST at the Stade de France and will air in South Africa on Grandstand and SS Rugby during DStv Open Time, as the Springboks prepare to name their 23 and stress the expected physical contest.