Paris (AFP)

It's back to school!

Seven months after his last match, the XV of France finds the lawn of the Stade de France, Saturday against Wales, after a long period marked by the pandemic and institutional passes.

A match without any real stake, in an empty stadium, after a shortened preparation and thwarted by the internal quarrels between the League and the Federation ... despite all that, do not count on the Blues to spoil this meeting.

Because this shock against the XV du Leek launches a dense autumnal window, with a mini-World Cup of seven weeks (October 24-December 6) and six matches: first Ireland on October 31 to complete the 2020 Tournament, then Fiji, Scotland and Italy, as part of the Autumn Nations Cup, before a final classification match in this new eight-team competition.

Laurent Labit, the coach of the French attack, assured him during the week: "For us, this is not a preparation match."

Same story for Baptiste Serin, scrum half.

"We have a match to win against Ireland to finish the Tournament in style and potentially win it. It will also depend on the result of England (in Italy, Editor's note) but we want to put ourselves in the best possible position on the last game and it goes through a very big game this weekend against Wales ".

"Hoping for a victory, a successful match to give yourself a quieter week, in the head at least, to prepare Ireland", adds the Toulonnais.

To regain their momentum, cut first by a defeat in Scotland (28-17) then stopped dead by the pandemic and confinement, the Blues of Fabien Galthié bet on familiar faces: 21 of the 23 players present on the sheet Saturday's match were already there in the historic victory in Cardiff (27-23), the first since 2010, on February 22.

Better, it is the same starting XV as the one who launched the Galthié era with a convincing success in front of England (24-17), on February 2.

- Unpublished context -

An eternity later, will the automatisms be back?

"It comes back rather quickly", assures the center Gaël Fickou to AFP.

"Afterwards, obviously, it will be a little less oiled than when we manage to spend six weeks in a row together. It's normal and it's obvious but the system is clear and obvious. (...) It remains all the same. a framework that has already played a lot of matches together. We know each other quite well and that can serve us this weekend ", also estimates the Parisian.

The Welsh have changed more things but they still rely on strong individualities, opener Dan Biggar (31 years old, 84 caps), back Leigh Halfpenny (31 years old, 93 caps) or winger George North (28, 98 caps).

And above all the unsinkable Captain Alun Wyn Jones.

The eternal second row (35) will equal the world selection record on Saturday with a 148th cape (including seven with the British and Irish Lions), held by former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.

Known heads, therefore, but above all "a formidable team which has always had a very big defense and a big conquest", explains Fickou.

"It's a team that is not easy to play because they are hard to move. The Welsh are very tough in the contacts, they are very strong, they are always aggressive. So it is always very big. fighting against them, "said the captain of the French defense.

The Blues are warned.

© 2020 AFP