Europe 1 with AFP 2:58 p.m., February 24, 2023

The Blues face Scotland on Sunday at 4 p.m. for the third day of the Six Nations Tournament.

Almost two years after his last tenure, the right pillar of the MHR Mohamed Haouas is making a comeback in the starting XV.

This is the only change made by Fabien Galthié and his staff after the defeat in Ireland.

Almost two years after his last tenure in the Six Nations Tournament, the right pillar Mohamed Haouas is back in the French starting XV, the only change for the reception of Scotland on Sunday.

The Montpellier player (28, 15 caps) replaces Rochelais Uini Atonio, suspended after the yellow card received in the defeat in Ireland (32-19), where the XV of France suffered its first setback in more than a year. year.

"Keep a substantial collective experience"

Haouas had not started in the Tournament since March 26, 2021 and a defeat against … Scotland (27-23) at the Stade de France.

"Defeat can sometimes be synonymous with sanction and therefore change: we judged, after reflection? that there was no reason to modify this composition, apart from Uini Atonio", explained Fabien Galthié.

"For four years and thirty-three compositions, we have been trying to have consistency, a vision. We have won 80% of our matches, we are coming off a series of fourteen victories. The players who make up this team have proven that they were capable of meeting any challenge," said the coach.

The return of Mohamed Haouas allows the Blues "to maintain a substantial collective experience", added Galthié.

Indisputable at the start of the mandate, the colossus of the MHR (1.85 m, 123 kg) has gradually fallen back in the hierarchy, the fault of a red card collected against the XV du Chardon (28-17), precisely, during the first defeat of the Fabien Galthié era, but also to extra-sporting and legal setbacks.

This tenure, his thirteenth in Blue, against an opponent who does not succeed him, could allow him to relaunch his career while leaving his direct competitors at a distance, including his counterparts from Bordeaux-Bègles Sipili Falatea or Lyon Demba Bamba.

Seven Toulouse holders

Haouas is the only change compared to the team which had started with a sluggish victory (29-24) then fell against the XV of Clover.

Toulouse's Thomas Ramos (27, 22 caps), inconclusive in Rome then disappointing in Dublin, retains his place at the back for his sixth start in a row.

Lyon winger Ethan Dumortier (21, 2 caps), top scorer in the Top 14 (8 tries), continues his third tenure on the left, Clermontois Damian Penaud (26, 39 caps), tenth best scorer in the history of the Blues, occupying the right wing.

The center Jonathan Danty (30 years old, 18 caps) had been recalled to Marcoussis but he is "not 100%" after his rupture of the posterior cruciate ligament of the knee at the end of December and was made available to La Rochelle.

The duo Gaël Fickou (28 years old, 76 caps)-Yoram Moefana (22 years old, 13 caps) is therefore renewed, as is the 100% Toulouse hinge formed by Antoine Dupont (25 years old, 44 caps) in the scrum and Romain Ntamack (23 years old, 33 caps) at the opening.

There are also seven players from the Rouge et Noir who will start against Scotland with, in addition to Ramos, Ntamack and Dupont, captain of the Blues since the Grand Slam 2022, the hooker Julien Marchand (27 years old, 26 sel.), the pillar Cyril Baille (29, 41 caps), second line Thibaud Flament (25, 13 caps) and third line Anthony Jelonch (26, 24 caps).

The XV of France must catch up on Sunday to hope to keep alive their hopes of retaining their title against Finn Russell's teammates, who, at the same time, dominated England (29-23) then Wales (35 -7) and intend to continue their thunderous start to the Tournament before hosting Ireland, the other undefeated team in the Tournament.