Special match, bold calls. To take on England on Saturday evening at the Stade de France (9.10pm) on the final round of the Six Nations, head coach Fabien Galthié unveiled on Thursday 12 March a France side marked by several major adjustments, and a baptism of fire.

The main surprise concerns the back row. Hit by a hamstring injury, Anthony Jelonch had to withdraw yesterday, Wednesday 11 March. To replace him, the French staff have decided to throw in Bordeaux-Bègles’ Temo Matiu, who will win his first international cap straight away in a decisive Crunch.

The young UBB player will be surrounded by experienced senior figures, François Cros and Charles Ollivon, moved to number 8, tasked with bringing stability and reference points to a back row that is heavily worked in this kind of contest.

Up front too, the front row will be made up of Jean-Baptiste Gros, Julien Marchand and Darian Aldegheri, while the second row pairs Thibaud Flament with Emmanuel Meafou.

The half-back pairing is unchanged with Antoine Dupont at scrum-half and Matthieu Jalibert at fly-half. Behind them, Thomas Ramos keeps the full-back berth, while the wings are filled by Théo Attissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, one of the most eye-catching French players of the tournament.

Brennan, the other surprise

In the centre, the management have also had a rethink. Injured in the shoulder during the defeat in Scotland, Nicolas Depoortere is out. To fill the gap, Pierre-Louis Barassi returns to the starting line-up and will form the pairing with Yoram Moefana, already established in the French set-up. The very same centre pairing that lined up last year during the 2025 tournament.

But another of the curiosities of the team sheet is found on the bench, which already features Auradou and Gailleton. Lock Joshua Brennan, son of former Ireland international Trevor Brennan and a Stade Toulousain player, is among the replacements. At 23, he could get his first minutes in the tournament.

The French bench, a familiar one since the start of this edition, built on a “6-2” split (six forwards, two backs), shows France’s determination to take the fight head-on. Galthié is going for power and physical impact to answer the English challenge in the rucks and the collisions, an area that is often decisive in Crunch matches against the English.

These adjustments come after a rather tense week for France. Beaten last weekend in Scotland (50-40), France have seen their certainties wobble and now find themselves under pressure before hosting England on this final round of the tournament.

Facing them, England, also under pressure, have gone for continuity, with a side almost identical to the one that lined up on the previous round and the historic defeat in Rome.

The France team to face England:

The starting XV: 15. Ramos ; 14. Attissogbe, 13. Barassi, 12. Moefana, 11. Bielle-Biarrey ; 10. Jalibert, 9. Dupont (capt.) ; 7. Matiu, 8. Ollivon, 6. Cros ; 5. Meafou, 4. Flament ; 3. Aldegheri, 2. Marchand, 1. Gros

Finishers : 16. Mauvaka, 17. Neti, 18. Bamba, 19. Auradou, 20. Guillard, 21. Brennan, 22. Serin, 23. Gailleton.