Without Ramos, Ntamack or Flament: who are the France players tasked with beating the Springboks?

Without his goal-kicker, his three fly-halves and his usual second row, Fabien Galthié has had to improvise. Antoine Dupont will wear No 10 for France for the first time, Florian Verhaeghe, with 157 minutes for France since 2024, partners Mickaël Guillard in the second row and Théo Attissogbe takes over at full-back. A reshaped side, but one built on in-form Top 14 starters, with depth behind them.

Thirty injured out of 110 players used

Since July 2024, France have played 27 Tests and used 110 players, starters or replacements who came on, according to our match sheets. Thirty of them are currently injured. Together they have played 10,893 of France’s 32,228 minutes (34%), scored 406 of their 1,002 points (41%) and 29 of their 132 tries.

This season, in the Nations Championship, the injured players still account for 30% of the playing time.

Ramos, Jegou and Flament top the list

The biggest gap is at full-back. Thomas Ramos, who hurt a thigh in early October and then suffered a setback, has played 1,251 minutes and scored 226 points for France since July 2024, more than anyone else. Next come Oscar Jegou (825 minutes), ruled out of the Fiji and South Africa games with a rib injury, Thibaud Flament (770), who had shoulder surgery, and Emmanuel Meafou (761), who had knee surgery.

Fly-half is the hardest-hit position. Romain Ntamack (dislocated shoulder against Fiji), Matthieu Jalibert (quadriceps) and Antoine Hastoy (ankle) are all out. Against Fiji, Maxime Lucu moved to fly-half after Ntamack went off. In the back row, Paul Boudehent, Anthony Jelonch, Lenni Nouchi and Jegou are also missing.

Who returns when?

Based on the timelines given by their clubs, several could be back before the end of the autumn: Jegou, Boudehent, Jelonch, Demba Bamba and Joshua Brennan are only ruled out of the November window. Meafou and Marko Gazzotti are expected around mid-December, Ntamack and Baptiste Erdocio in early January, Flament early in 2027.

Others face longer layoffs. Fabien Brau-Boirie, who had kneecap surgery on 5 November, is out for around four months, Judicaël Cancoriet and Jimi Maximin for around three. Gaëtan Barlot, who needs further neck surgery, may miss the rest of the season. No return date has been given for Ramos or Jalibert, who both suffered setbacks.

A team shaped by the absences

The side named by Fabien Galthié on Wednesday bears the marks of the injury list. With Ntamack, Jalibert and Hastoy all out, Antoine Dupont will start a France Test in the No 10 shirt for the first time, with Maxime Lucu at No 9. At full-back, Théo Attissogbe replaces Ramos. In the second row, without Flament and Meafou, Mickaël Guillard partners Florian Verhaeghe, who has only 157 minutes for France since 2024 in our database. In the back row, Cameron Woki, Grégory Alldritt and François Cros cover for Jegou, Boudehent and Jelonch.

The starting XV have played 10,143 minutes for France since July 2024, fewer than the 30 injured players combined (10,893). Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, Kalvin Gourgues and Verhaeghe each have fewer than 250 minutes over the period. On the bench, Esteban Capilla has one cap and Pau fly-half Axel Desperes could win his first.

Yet this is still a side of in-form starters. In the Top 14 this season, the fifteen have made 74 starts between them and scored 28 tries. Hooker Julien Marchand has five, two fewer than the league’s leading try-scorers. Cameron Woki and Antoine Dupont have four each, Attissogbe, Bielle-Biarrey and Grandidier-Nkanang three. Maxime Lucu, with 40 points for Bordeaux-Bègles, can take over the kicking from Ramos.

There is depth behind them too. On the bench, Pau fly-half Axel Desperes has already scored 53 Top 14 points this season. Among the 19 squad members left out of the 23, Louis Carbonel has kicked 65 points for Stade Français, Teddy Thomas has six tries for Toulouse and Bayonne hooker Guillaume Cramont five. Without Ntamack, who went off injured in the first half, France still scored eight tries against Fiji on Saturday (54-17).

France: Attissogbe; Grandidier-Nkanang, Gourgues, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Dupont (capt), Lucu; Cros, Alldritt, Woki; Verhaeghe, Guillard; Gros, Marchand, Falatea. Replacements: Mauvaka, Neti, Montagne, Ollivon, Staniforth, Capilla, Desperes, Gailleton.

France host South Africa at the Stade de France on Friday (9.10pm local time), then Argentina on 21 November.