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Michel Euler / AP
French defender Brice Dulin is the only player in the squad of the day with more than 10 international matches to his name.
France admits that the forced mismatch in experience between them and England makes the Fall Nations Cup final at Twickenham look like a sham.
But coach Fabien Galthié promised one thing: “We will be ready on Sunday, I assure you we will be ready.”
The six tests conducted in France this fall double the usual amount due to the pandemic. But the top 14 clubs forced the national union to restrict each player to three tests. The central players appeared over the top four. Then eleven players made their debuts last weekend by beating Italy 36-5.
This Monday (NZT), England will play their most experienced starting XV with a combined 813 matches. France will send a team with a total of 68, the second-lowest in their history. Fullback Brice Dulin leads with 30 appearances, followed by top five Matthieu Jalibert with 7.
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“The players have been exemplary in their preparation and they all deserve their international matches,” said France coach Raphael Ibáñez.
“Seen from abroad, this final can be seen as ‘a sham’. We understand, our two national teams are not on an equal footing.
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“Since the beginning of our international period, we have not been able to benefit from two weeks of preparation [with the same team]. Despite all this, we won our matches to reach the final. That means the players have focus and character. They are a talented team and who knows, they could be ready to knock down mountains this weekend. “
England only made one change after beating Wales 24-13 at Llanelli last week. Anthony Watson was returned to the right wing by an injured Jonathan Joseph.
The reserves reverted to a traditional 5-3 split between forwards and backs, so the English player of the season, wing Jack Willis, was eliminated and the first five Max Malins were retired.
Scott Heppell / AP
French coach Fabien Galthie has named an inexperienced team to play England in the final of the Fall Nations Cup.
The three-game rule sent off Baptiste Serin, the middle and captain against Italy, and Teddy Thomas, the wing who scored the attempts. They have been replaced by Baptiste Couilloud, who captained the team on its first test outing, and Alivereti Raka, last seen at the Rugby World Cup in Japan last year.
Toulouse No. 8 Selevasio Tolofua will make his debut, and prop Hassane Kolingar and Yoram Moefana, second five, will make their first test among the six changes to Italy’s victory.
Bayonnais’ capless block Guillaume Ducat is in reserve alongside Clermont running back Sébastien Bézy, who last played in 2016.
“What is surprising about our team is their lack of common experience,” said Galthié. “So we try to speed up all of that. [England] We’re a team. Our challenge was to transform a selection into a team ”.
France has no starters for the team that beat England 24-17 in February in Paris. England has 10.
The English are seeking revenge for their only loss this year and have vowed all week to take the final seriously, take France seriously and add the Fall Nations Cup to the Six Nations trophy they won five weeks ago.
Coach Eddie Jones said, “My message to the players will be to put all your effort into every minute of the game and win every battle.”
