XV of France-Gaëtan Barlot Captain, Cameron Woki on the bench … The official composition for the second test against New Zealand

As was expected since the first training of the week on Tuesday morning, There will be ten changes in the composition of the XV of France To face New Zealand during the second test-match on Saturday (9:05 am in France; 7:05 pm on site), in Wellington. This was officially announced this Thursday. Only five players retain their place compared to the team that bowed little (31-27) in Dunedin last weekend. Among them is the hooker Gaëtan Barlot, who is entrusted with the capitalatanat in the absence of Gaël Fickou, preserved for the third summer meeting in Hamilton, in nine days. The now ex-Castrais (he has been Bordeaux since July 1, editor’s note) is the second most capped player in the tricolor starting XV, with his ten selections, behind Nolan Le Garrec (eleven selections). He is the eighth captain of the Garthié era, he who assumed this responsibility to the CO. He is also the only player to be renewed in the pack of forwards. On the front line, he will be surrounded by Baptiste Erdocio on the left, and George-Henri Colombe on the right.

A second line at 0 selection

On the second line, two virgin boys of any international selection will start, namely the Toulousain Joshua Brennan and the Toulonnais Matthias Halagahu. Brennan is one of the five top 14 finalists called, and arrived in the middle of last week in New Zealand, to join the match sheet. This is particularly the case of the third Bordeaux line Pierre Bochaton, who will be associated with Jacobus van Tonder, whose entry into play impressed in Dunedin, and Esteban Abadie, who is repositioned in an unusual role of number 8. The Toulonnais will also be responsible for the announcements in touch. At the hinge, Fabien Galkié decided to maintain his confidence in the duo composed of the scrum half Nolann Le Garrec and the opener Joris Segonds. These two will also share the responsibility for penalty shootouts.

Six “finishers” of Dunedin renewed

If the coach chose to shift the Palois Emilien Gailleton and Théo Attissogbe on the wings (the first was the holder at the center at the Forsthy Barr Stadium when the second evolved in the back), it is among others to make room for three players landed in reinforcement in this group. It is the Toulousain Pierre-Louis Barassi and the Bordeaux Nicolas Depoortère, who will be associated for the first time at the center of the French attack, as well as the Parisian Léo Barré who will be aligned in number 15, where he offers serious guarantees on the international scene.

For the rest, Cameron Woki will hold his place on the tricolor bench well, he who had shorted the end of his session this Wednesday morning, due to a pain in Achilles tendon. Nothing serious, therefore. He will be one of the six “finishers” of Dunedin repeated by the staff of the XV of France in Wellington, with Pierre Bourgarit, Paul Mallez, Régis Montagne, Romain Taofifenua and Antoine Hastoy. They will be accompanied by the third Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer line (the fifth finalist) and the melee Thibault Daubagna, which surely benefits from the contrasting entry of Baptiste Jauneau. These two men could celebrate their first cape at Sky Stadium.