Toulouse (AFP)
Lyon scrum-half Baptiste Couilloud will be captain of the XV de France in the final of the Autumn Nations Cup on Sunday against England in Twickenham, the Federation announced on Monday.
Couilloud (23 years old, 4 selections), who came into play in place of Baptiste Serin for the last ten minutes against Italy on Saturday (36-5), recovers the captaincy of his competitor at the post, reached by the limit of 3 match sheets with the Blues this fall.
Serin himself had inherited the armband from the "real" captain Charles Ollivon, who had 3 matches during the victorious trip to Scotland (22-15).
Ollivon was installed captain when coach Fabien Galthié took office in January.
Barred in selection by Antoine Dupont and Serin, Couilloud had not played again with the Blues since the 2018 Six Nations Tournament. This role of captain ensures him a starting place to the detriment of Clermontois Sébastien Bézy, called Sunday to replace Serin.
Couilloud will have to guide a young and inexperienced team - only the back Brice Dulin (30) and the right pillar Uini Atonio (33) have more than 10 selections - against the formidable and otherwise more experienced XV de la Rose, winner of the Tournament of the six nations ahead of the Blues.
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