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In French, it is known as La Poil de la Bête - literally, ‘the Beast’s Hair’ - and Les Bleus head to the wine capital of the world hoping for some rejuvenating Hair of the Dog of their own. To say there has been a hangover from last Saturday would be an understatement. In the aftermath of their battering at the hands of the Springboks in Paris, a familiar self-doubt has arisen within the discourse of the French rugby public, from whether Fabien Galthié is the right man for the job, to questioning if the relentless nature of Top 14 is actually a hindrance to the national side.
Whether Galthié and his men will get the required respite in Bordeaux remains to be seen, but France’s immediate requirement is World Rugby ranking points. They have slipped to 5th (their lowest position in four years) but with the all-important 2027 Rugby World Cup draw looming on 3 December, there is a scenario in which a win could lift them back up to 3rd if England and Ireland both lose.
Awaiting them in French rugby’s South-West heartlands will be a side who benefit from the famed strength of France’s domestic competition. French rugby is absolutely stacked with Fijian talent, and a few faces taking centre stage this Saturday will be familiar to French fans. Seven of Fiji’s match day squad currently play in France, compared to none from last weekend’s opponents.
Battered: metaphorically and physically
Unsurprisingly given the power of the Boks, the battering France took last week was not just metaphorical. The majority of the seven personnel changes made to the starting XV by Galthié are injury-enforced. However, the timing of those injuries adds a layer of mystery. It was known early in the week that Mickaël Guillard and Baptiste Erdocio would be missing, and that Thibaud Flament was managing a thigh issue. Nolann Le Garrec announced on his own Instagram story on the eve of the team announcement that he was ruled out with injury, while Manny Meafou was withdrawn once the squad arrived in Bordeaux, having initially been named in the starting line up.
But the headline omissions are arguably not caused by injury. Gaël Fickou is dropped completely while Paul Boudehent slides to the bench. Fickou was not only captain last week, but also the player selected by Galthié more than any other during his tenure, while Boudehent had appeared to be the only inked in back row starter in 2025.
Alldritt leads the refresh
The droppings of Fickou and, in particular, Boudehent seem even more bizarre in light of the players brought into the line up. For many, despite being left out of the squad last weekend on the basis of form, it would have been a logical move to bring Boudehent’s club team mate Grégory Alldritt in at no. 8. As an extra twist, he also returns as captain. The need for the pace of Oscar Jégou, another La Rochelle man, in that starting France back row became even more obvious when he came off the bench last week, and the back row does look more balanced this week as a result.
Nevertheless, Boudehent’s versatility should still have secured him a starting spot. He has played exclusively as a lock at La Rochelle this season, so could have easily filled in for the injured Flament. Instead, Galthié has recalled another former captain in Charles Ollivon, who also leapfrogs Flament’s apparent natural successor Hugo Auradou. It will be Ollivon’s first international start at lock and, though his first start on return from injury was in the ‘row, that was the first time he’d done so in over four years. Auradou, a supreme lineout technician despite his tender years, has been used curiously by Galthié. He may have started three times in a weakened side over the summer, but Auradou has accumulated just 18 minutes of game time in his last three appearances as a substitute.
Is this selection a sign that France are underestimating Fiji’s lineout and maul game, however impressive it was against England last week? Do France need Ollivon’s speed after their one-paced showing last week? Or is it a reflection of a desire to win right now and secure those World Rugby ranking points?
Either way, the return of Maxime Lucu at scrum-half should bring some of the control France lacked last weekend. The kicking of Le Garrec and Romain Ntamack was erratic and their game management slightly panicky last week; Lucu’s presence should steady the ship.
The midfield also feels far more balanced, even if the player retained is a surprise. Fickou and Pierre-Louis Barassi were just a bit too samey last week. Barassi, who switches to 12 in place of his erstwhile partner, is four years younger and is winning only his 10th cap this Saturday (over a six year period). Perhaps he can be forgiven then for not quite stamping his authority in an international jersey yet. Given the superstars in the opposing midfield, Saturday represents a huge opportunity for Nicolas Depoortère to stamp his authority on the Bleu jersey. Rangy, powerful and slick, he has a higher ceiling than Barassi and, having vaulted Émilien Gailleton, could yet end 2025 as France’s first choice centre.
An experimental bench?
The bench has been completely rebuilt. Notwithstanding the injuries, a reshuffle on the bench was necessary, given it was the most obvious shortcoming against the Boks. Six of the replacements didn’t feature last week, and only four of the eight have featured for France this year.
In the front row, hooker Maxime Lamothe is in line for his debut in his home town, having been born and bred in the suburbs of Bordeaux, and recently opened up a Bordelais branch of a Dax-based madeleines bakery with which he shares a name. More dynamic, but less steady at the set piece, he has usurped his new UBB teammate Gaëtan Barlot, one of France’s captains in the summer. There are returns for the first time in five years for Toulouse’s ever-impressive loosehead Rodrigue Neti, and for the first time in over two years for Thomas Laclayat, with the tighthead rediscovering his best form after his summer move to Pau.
The bench does have a green-tinged Pau feel to it, with big lump Jimi Maximin in line for a debut as beneficiary of the injury to Meafou. Since the back end of last season, Maximin and Auradou have formed an impressive partnership for Pau, and the pair are a classic example of the lineout athlete/big lump ying & yang lock combination. It is once again a 6-2 split for France, and the two backs have thrilling talent, with Pau’s deadly finisher Gailleton joined by the livewire Baptiste Jauneau. The Clermont man remains a wildly exciting prospect, albeit he still has a few raw edges that need smoothing. He only turns 22 on Monday, and how many scrum-halves are the finished article at that age?
The Freakish Flying Fijians of France
Fiji’s backline is always intoxicating, and French fans need no introduction to Fiji’s dangermen. Josua Tuisova is the obvious box-office name. A wrecking ball on any stage, he is denied a contest with Fickou, his regular Racing 92 centre partner. Those who follow the Top 14 regularly will be just as excited - or terrified - by Sireli Maqala’s presence on the bench. The Bayonne centre has been one of the league’s outstanding players over the past year or so; he was on the three-man shortlist of Top 14 Player of the Year for last season.
Former All Black Pita-Gus Sowakula was impressive on his Fiji debut last week and has been excellent for Clermont since returning from injury at the back end of last season. Racing 92 fans have yet to see the best of the devastating Selestino Ravutaumada, while Salesi Rayasi was a shining light for Vannes last season and has continued his eye-catching form at Bordeaux, having switched over the summer. Arguably Fiji’s main man is fly-half Caleb Muntz, but you need to have been following France’s second tier to have caught any of his club appearances this season; he’s had three impressive run outs for Pro D2 side Provence.
The pick of the Flying Fijians from a French perspective though is Jiuta Wainiqolo, who is currently top of Rosbifs Rugby’s FFTSE Index (Flair Fijian Try Scorers Extraordinaires), our notional ranking of Fijian flair within French rugby. Viral clips of Fijians tearing up French turf are a weekly occurrence, and more often than not, they feature Waniqolo. He is an absolute freakshow. At least Les Bleus should be forewarned.
However, they may be surprised to see one face that they have encountered before. Fiji debutant Tim Hoyt, the 22 year-old Worcester Warriors tighthead, twice played against France in his time with England U20s, meaning that Auradou, Jégou, Jauneau, Depoortère, Gailleton and Louis Bielle-Biarrey have all faced him in a blue shirt previously.
So what happens on Saturday?
France are bruised, reshuffled and under pressure. But they should be clear favourites in front of the country’s most passionate rugby public. They might be playing at Bordeaux’s spectacular 42,000 capacity football stadium, the Matmut Atlantique, but Union Bordeaux-Bègles regularly fill the 34,000 capacity at their nearby home, Stade Chaban Delmas.
There is abundant talent in the respective backlines, but we saw last weekend just how directionless France’s attack can look if their forwards can’t give them front-foot ball. For all the international leadership experience of Alldritt and Ollivon, it may well be the local leader that holds the key. Maxime Lucu is a hero of Bordeaux, having captained UBB to their first major silverware (under their current guise as UBB) with their Champions Cup victory in Cardiff. After a dizzying week, France need a clear head to guide them out of their stupor. Lucu can be that man, and if he is, we for one will be raising a glass…
