Bordeaux stars complement new generation in France team to play All Blacks

France head coach Fabien Galthié has picked a youthful 23 to face the All Blacks in round 1 of the inaugural Nations Championship.

Lock Tom Staniforth is in line for a debut in the No.5 jersey, bringing some familiarity with New Zealand to the team, having played 55 games in Super Rugby for the Waratahs and Brumbies. He’s joined by 22-year-old Hugo Auradou in the second row.

Up front, Jefferson Poirot and Demba Bamba offer some more experience in the tight five, alongside Maxime Lamonthe, who has been named for his first Test start. In the back row, Pierre Bochaton, Oscar Jegou and Marko Gazzotti have an average age of just 23.

The backline sees some established star power in Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert in the halves, feeding Bordeaux teammate Yoram Moefana at 12 and Pau’s two-Test 20-year-old Fabien Brau-Boirie at centre. The outside backs feature Theo Attissogbe on the left wing, Damian Penaud on the right and Max Spring at fullback.

Bringing impact will be Barnabé Massa, Reda Wardi and Régis Montagne in the front row, Mickaël Guillard in the second row, and Killian Tixeront as loose forward cover. Antoine Hastoy joins rising stars Nolann Le Garrec and Nicolas Depoortere as backline cover.

Team Form

Last 5 Games

19 - 50

0 - 54

21 - 38

40 - 21

47 - 17

15 - 42

26 - 42

34 - 32

48 - 46

50 - 40

5

Wins

3

5

Streak

2

35

Tries Scored

28

151

Points Difference

33

4/5

First Try

4/5

4/5

First Points

4/5

4/5

Race To 10 Points

5/5

France team to play New Zealand

1. POIROT Jefferson
2. LAMOTHE Maxime
3. BAMBA Demba
4. AURADOU Hugo
5. STANIFORTH Tom
6. BOCHATON Pierre
7. JEGOU Oscar
8. GAZZOTTI Marko
9. LUCU Maxime
10. JALIBERT Matthieu
11. ATTISSOGBE Théo
12. MOEFANA Yoram
13. BRAU-BOIRIE Fabien
14. PENAUD Damian
15. SPRING Max

Reserves

16. MASSA Barnabé
17. WARDI Reda
18. MONTAGNE Régis
19. GUILLARD Mickaël
20. TIXERONT Killian
21. LE GARREC Nolann
22. HASTOY Antoine
23. DEPOORTERE Nicolas