Marcoussis (France) (AFP)

As we meet: Teddy Thomas and Vincent Rattez were established by Fabien Galthié on the wings of the XV of France to face Wales on Saturday (9:10 p.m.), the Blues' first match for more than seven months.

Within a team of 25 years and 16 selections on average, Montpellier's Rattez, victim of a fractured right fibula against Italy, therefore finds his place quite logically.

Racingman Thomas, who started in Galthié's first three matches, was dismissed against Scotland following defensive mistakes.

Two hundred and thirty days after the defeat of Edinburgh (28-17), the XV of France, aligned at the Stade de France, will therefore be identical to the one who launched the Galthié era with a victory against England (24- 17), February 2.

"There is a form of consistency and continuity. It is a team which is growing and which, by playing together, will acquire a form of individual and collective maturity," explained Galthié.

"You have to accumulate experience," he added.

A familiar face, then, after long months away from Marcoussis.

Because the staff of the France team has been proclaiming it since taking office: Galthié wants "to build a team, + caper + the players, to increase their skills".

It is therefore based on a hard core, articulated around the hinge of the Toulouse Stadium: Antoine Dupont (23 years old, 24 selections) and Romain Ntamack (21 years old, 16 selections).

Captain Charles Ollivion (27 years old, 15 caps) obviously keeps his place and his status in the third row, with the indispensable Grégory Alldritt (23 years old, 15 caps) and the precious François Cros (26 years old, 6 caps).

The main debate revolved around the N.2 jersey: as in the first part of the 2020 Tournament, it is the Toulousain Julien Marchand (25 years old, 6 selections) who holds the rope, thus relegating the Racingman Camille Chat to the bench ( 24 years old, 27 caps).

- Change in continuity -

The Toulouse hooker is supervised by his club teammate Cyril Baille (27 years old, 20 caps), affected against Wales, and Montpellier's Mohamed Haouas (23 years old, 4 caps).

Forgotten, therefore, Murrayfield's red card or the chaotic start of the season for the “bad boy” of the MHR.

The defense captain Gaël Fickou (26 years old, 55 caps), who had a time repaired on the wing, recovers his place in the center, where he will form a formidable duo with Virimi Vakatawa (28 years old, 24 caps), therefore framed Thomas on the right and Rattez on the left.

The revelation of the last Tournament, Anthony Bouthier (28 years old, 4 caps), retains his place at the back while his Montpellier teammate Arthur Vincent (21 years old, 4 caps), the former captain of the U20 world champions, slides on the bench.

At his side, Chat therefore, but also Jean-Baptiste Gros (Toulon, 21 years old, 2 selections), Demba Bamba (Lyon, 22 years old, 11 selections), Romain Taofifenua (Toulon, 30 years old, 17 selections), Baptiste Serin ( Toulon, 26 years old, 37 caps), Thomas Ramos (Stade Toulouse, 25 years old, 11 caps) and Dylan Cretin (Lyon, 23 years old, 2 caps).

The Blues kick off their fall campaign on Saturday with a preparation match against Wales, before concluding the 2020 Six Nations Tournament, a week later, ahead of Ireland.

Then, the XV of France will participate in the Autumn Nations Cup, a new eight-way competition with the Six Nations as well as Fiji and Georgia as guests.

© 2020 AFP