France vs South Africa (Saturday, November 10th 2018)

Thought I'd put up a thread for this one, as it could be a bit lively.

South Africa have access to their Premiership players, They are on a six game winning streak over France, which includes four matches played in 2017 (like the England schedule this year: a tour of South Africa, followed by an End-of-year-test).

The closest result was the equivalent fixture last year, also at the Stade de France, which the Boks won by 17-18. There were grumblings in France, because Ireland had demolished the same opposition the previous week. We tend to expect France to stand up to the physical challenge, because it seems to be a feature of their club game, but reports suggest South Africa still made a lot of ground against them, if not as easily as they appeared to do against England.

You have the sense that France are better than they were last year, despite finishing lower in the 2018 Six Nations table, and going winless in New Zealand. South Africa are the highest-ranked opposition they face this year (their other two games are against Argentina and Fiji) so this will be an important fixture for both sides.

France
1. Poirot
2. Guirado
3. Gomes SA
4. Vahaamahina
5. Maestri
6. Lauret
7. Iturria
8. Picamoles
9. Serin
10. Lopez
11. Penaud
12. Doumayrou
13. Bastareaud
14. Thomas
15. Medard

Bench: Chat, Priso, Slimani, Gabrillauges, Babillot, Belleau, Fickou

South Africa (Thanks to LT)

15. Willie le Roux (Wasps, England, 50, 60 - 12t)
14. Sbu Nkosi (Cell C Sharks , 4, 15 - 3t)
13. Jesse Kriel (Vodacom Blue Bulls, 37, 50 - 10t)
12. Damian de Allende (DHL Western Province, 34, 20 - 4t)
11. Aphiwe Dyantyi (Xerox Golden Lions, 10, 30 - 6t)
10. Handré Pollard (Vodacom Blue Bulls, 36, 299 - 3t, 55c, 55p, 3d)
9. Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks, England, 20, 15 - 3t)
8. Warren Whiteley (Xerox Golden Lions, 22, 15 - 3t)
7. Duane Vermeulen (Unattached, 43, 15 - 3t)
6. Siya Kolisi (captain, DHL Western Province, 38, 25 - 5t)
5. Franco Mostert (Gloucester, England, 26, 5 - 1t)
4. Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Western Province, 43, 20 - 4t)
3. Frans Malherbe (DHL Western Province, 26, 0)
2. Malcolm Marx (Xerox Golden Lions, 21, 20 - 4t)
1. Steven Kitshoff (DHL Western Province, 34, 5 - 1t)

Replacements:
16. Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Western Province, 23, 10 - 2t)
17. Thomas du Toit (Cell C Sharks, 6, 0)
18. Vincent Koch (Saracens, England, 10, 0)
19. RG Snyman (Vodacom Blue Bulls, 9, 0)
20. Francois Louw (Bath Rugby, England, 62, 45 - 9t)
21. Embrose Papier (Vodacom Blue Bulls, 5, 0)
22. Elton Jantjies (Xerox Golden Lions, 30, 223 - 2t, 42c, 43p)
23. Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse, France, 4, 10 - 2t)

Russ Petty says of the French team (added to the OP)

Same lock and 9/10 combos from 2017 6N. 8th start for the Legion of Doum midfield in 12 Tests since last Nov.

Penaud on the wing?  Seems an odd choice.

I understood de klerk wasn't going to be in any AI squad? Have sa chucked some money at sale?

Its an agreed international window - Sale don't have any right to retain Faf.

Is this game on UK TV?

Sa had announced that a deal had been done with de klerk being released during the entire rugby championship in turn he wouldn't be released in the AIs. As sale haven't kicked up a fuss I assumed money.

Because of  glut of French centres at Clermont and injury to Raka for the early part of the season Penaud has played three or four games on the wing and looked really good. He certainly has the speed and footwork for the wing and seems to have got stronger over the summer without bulking up much and certainly not slowing down.
Whilst playing wing he stepped past two defenders and then ran over a former Argentinian International winger, Imhoff, in Paris to score a great try against Racing at the start of the season.

For the 6 nations France will probably have Raka available for the wing, once his French passport is through. If all Clermont's French centres are available then Les Blues will have an embarrassment of riches at centre: Fofona, Penaud and Lamerat from Clermont plus Fickou, Basteraud and Doumayrou from Stade, Toulon and La Rochele respectively.

Also the game is on premier sports and also available to watch on Sunday morning on their Freesport channel if you have Sky or equivalent.

AP report on the French team

PARIS — No. 8 Louis Picamoles and flanker Arthur Iturria have come in from the cold to start for France against the Springboks on Saturday.

The test at Stade de France will be their first since they were dropped in February following a night of drinking in Edinburgh during the Six Nations.

South Africa recalled Faf de Klerk, Willie le Roux and Franco Mostert as starters after they became available, but lock Eben Etzebeth lost his race to be fit to play after injuring a foot last weekend in the loss to England at Twickenham.

Picamoles, who has 69 caps, and Iturria, who has three, were among a group sanctioned following a loss to Scotland. The group went out drinking, causing police inquries and the flight home to be delayed.

Of Iturria, coach Jacques Brunel said: “He is physically fit at last and can bring a lot of quality, especially in terms of technique and intelligence.”

Others who were sanctioned returned in June during the tour of New Zealand, including flyhalf Anthony Belleau, centre Remi Lamerat, winger Teddy Thomas, and lock Felix Lambey. Only squad players Jonathan Danty and Sekou Macalou have yet to make the Tricolours again.

Stade Francais centre Gael Fickou couldn’t break into the starting XV despite excellent domestic form, and was on the bench.

Damian Penaud, whose five previous caps were at centre, will make his debut as a winger, opposite Thomas.

“Fickou is in good form, but for this first game we preferred to keep the collaboration we had with (Mathieu) Bastareaud and (Geoffrey) Doumayrou at centre,” Brunel said.

“And on the wing, Penaud has been playing one good match after another. Also, it’s likely there will be a lot of pressure in the kicking game and I believe Damian has a little edge in this area.”

Maxime Medard will start at fullback, while Brunel chose to pair flyhalf Camille Lopez and scrumhalf Baptiste Serin.

Jacques Brunel actually asked Clermont to give game time to Penaud on the wing and Iturria on the back row and it paid off. He asked SF staff the same thing for Fickou but they didn’t want to have him on the wing so he is on the bench despite having a great start of the season. As usual not very confident on most of the 2-8-9-10-15 axis...

Teddy Thomas. Beats 6 defenders and then makes a horrible mess of a simple 3 against 1 position. Guirado scores on the following action.

Defeat from the jaws of victory perhaps. In reality they should be out of sight

Cannot fathom how France lost that.

Yehoo, biltong will be relieved!

Well done Boks, was sure they blew it with a silly forward pass. How the winger could stand ahead of the passer i dont know.

They couldnt lose two close ones surely.

Oh dear. You know Maestri of all the French players deserves better. That man works his socks off for nothing

Taylorman wrote:Yehoo, biltong will be relieved!

Well done Boks, was sure they blew it with a silly forward pass. How the winger could stand ahead of the passer i dont know.

They couldnt lose two close ones surely.

It wasn’t close because of the boks.

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:

Taylorman wrote:Yehoo, biltong will be relieved!

Well done Boks, was sure they blew it with a silly forward pass. How the winger could stand ahead of the passer i dont know.

They couldnt lose two close ones surely.

It wasn’t close because of the boks.

Who was that I saw on the field then? Could have sworn I heard the national anthem of South Africa?

Taylorman wrote:

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:

Taylorman wrote:Yehoo, biltong will be relieved!

Well done Boks, was sure they blew it with a silly forward pass. How the winger could stand ahead of the passer i dont know.

They couldnt lose two close ones surely.

It wasn’t close because of the boks.

Who was that I saw on the field then? Could have sworn I heard the national anthem of South Africa?

That’s pretty perceptive for a kiwi. Well done you, given your posts at least you got one thing accurate today.

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:

Taylorman wrote:

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:

Taylorman wrote:Yehoo, biltong will be relieved!

Well done Boks, was sure they blew it with a silly forward pass. How the winger could stand ahead of the passer i dont know.

They couldnt lose two close ones surely.

It wasn’t close because of the boks.

Who was that I saw on the field then? Could have sworn I heard the national anthem of South Africa?

That’s pretty perceptive for a kiwi. Well done you, given your posts at least you got one thing accurate today.

Thanks, and dont worry, youll get there one day too.