France XV: a rehearsal against England before New Zealand

Although it does not count as a selection, the match between the French senior team and an equally revamped England squad is not without its stakes for the players, who can secure a place on the tour to New Zealand and demonstrate their worth to the coaching staff.

As proof that the hierarchy between the 28 players present at Marcoussis for the past week is not set in stone, Fabien Galthié has postponed the announcement of his starting XV by one day from Thursday to Friday afternoon, the day before the match at Twickenham (Saturday, 4:15 p.m.).

The starting XV includes some experienced players, such as Gaël Fickou (94 caps) or Rabah Slimani (57 caps), several novices without international caps (Baptiste Erdocio, Maël Moustin ...) as well as other players regularly seen at Marcoussis but still rarely wearing the jersey with the rooster ( Théo Attissogbe lined up at the back, the fly-half Antoine Hastoy associated with Nolann Le Garrec at the hinge).

Without the Top 14 semi-finalists or some injured or rested players (Alldritt, Boudehent, etc.), the opportunity remains unique to shake up the hierarchy. "It's the opportunity to see what the highest level is like and also to be able to express yourself at the highest level," emphasizes to the AFP the third row Killian Tixeront, who will start the match among the starters, alongside his ASM partner Alexandre Fischer and the Lyonnais Mickaël Guillard.

The 23-year-old Clermont player is one of those players who has a chance to play: already present during the tour in Argentina, with the France "development" match (ex-France A) against Uruguay then a first official cap against the Pumas, he returned a few times to Marcoussis during the season, without knowing a match sheet.

"We are available to the staff. They stay in touch with us from time to time to get news, to know if everything is going well physically and mentally, we exchange a little on different subjects," explains the player, who is coming off his second full season with Clermont (29 matches, including 21 as a starter).

We're trying to get to know each other and learn to play together. This preparatory match is essential so we can head off to New Zealand with peace of mind. For us, it's a block of four matches.

Théo William, second row for Lyon and the French XV

These stints in the expanded 42-player squad, a quota Fabien Galthié has claimed and achieved since the beginning of his term, also allow him to keep in mind the playing style of the French XV. This can be useful when 13 uncapped players find themselves in Marcoussis and only have two high-intensity training sessions to assimilate the coaching staff's requirements. "I also try to bring what I already know about the game plan" to the new players, emphasizes Tixeront.

After London, it will soon be time to head to New Zealand, where the Blues will face the All Blacks three times (July 5, 12, and 19). The French XV will announce a new list on Sunday, which will include some of the unfortunate Top 14 semi-finalists and reserve up to five places for the finalists.

"We're trying to get to know each other and learn to play together. This preparatory match is essential so we can go to New Zealand with peace of mind. For us, it's a block of four matches," Lyon second row Théo William, who also started on Saturday, assured during the week.