When Fabien Galthié laid out his plans for France’s World Cup preparation in May, he did so from his village of Montgesty, half an hour down the road from Cahors. The head coach had summoned the media to that same village hall for his first press conference on his appointment in 2019.
Given that World Cup success is the ultimate goal of his time in charge, it was fitting for the former scrum-half to take stock and return to where it all began before a gruelling two-month preparation that would have him and his staff travel all around the country.
Before embarking on that journey, he brought his backroom team to his village in the south-west, described by Galthié himself as “tranquil”, for a brief work trip. A calm before the storm, of sorts. The 42-player training camp began on 2 July with a two-week stretch in Monaco, before switching to the Marcoussis national training centre near Paris before Test matches in Saint-Étienne, Nantes and the Stade de France.
Saturday’s trip to Murrayfield to face Scotland is the only time the team will venture abroad. On their return, they will once again change base, this time setting up camp in Capbreton on the Atlantic coast.
Against an ostensibly first-choice Scotland team, a patchwork of breakthrough prospects and returning veterans will look to stake their claim for a spot in the 33-man squad this autumn. The “premium” team, to use Galthié’s phrasing, have been spared for the time being.
Evidently, the result is secondary, and Galthié is keen to stress that it won’t be anyone’s final chance to make an impression: “You can very well start the World Cup in front of the TV and be on the pitch for the final.” The head coach has even gone as far as labelling the final squad announcement, due to take place on 21 August, a “non-event”.
Saturday’s match will notably see Brice Dulin return to the fray after more than two years away from the national team. La Rochelle’s full-back, who will captain Les Bleus on Saturday, has had to claw his way back after a crucial error against Scotland in the 2021 Six Nations, which led to Duhan van der Merwe’s winning try in the 84th minute.
Other players in the squad to face Scotland will be hoping to break into what has been a largely well-established set-up over the past few seasons. Despite impressing with the European champions La Rochelle last season, Antoine Hastoy’s chances of toppling Matthieu Jalibert as the second-choice fly-half remain slim. In Edinburgh, Baptiste Couilloud will be looking to pip Baptiste Serin to the final scrum-half slot.
Injuries have been a growing concern – Romain Taofifénua is sidelined for the next few weeks with a hamstring injury, while François Cros is struggling with an adductor problem. The latter’s fellow flanker Anthony Jelonch, though, has been recovering from a knee ligament injury at a staggering pace.
Of the young players to watch, Louis Bielle-Biarrey would appear the likeliest to make an impact. The 20-year-old Union Bordeaux Bègles man has emerged as one of the Top 14’s most devastating finishers, so far coming good on the promise he showed on his debut last year – a hat-trick of tries against Scarlets. His call-up to the training camp meant he missed out on the Under-20 World Cup (which Les Bleuets handily won for the third time in a row anyway), but he’ll now be aiming to make his mark on the world stage at senior level.
Scotland: Kinghorn; Graham, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe; Russell (c), White; Schoeman, Ashman, Z Fagerson, Gray, Gilchrist, M Fagerson, Watson, Dempsey.
Replacements: Cherry, Bhatti, Nel, Cummings, Darge, Horne, Redpath, Smith.
France: Dulin (c); Bielle-Biarrey, Gailleton, Moefana, Dumortier; Jalibert, Couilloud; Gros, Bourgarit, Bamba, Woki, Chalureau, Boudehent, Macalou, Tanga.
Replacements: Mauvaka, Wardi, Falatea, Willemse, Cretin, Serin, Hastoy, Vincent.
The Croydon-born Émilien Gailleton will also be earning his first cap. The Pau centre is the youngest of the 42 – he turned 20 only last month – and, like Galthié, grew up in Cahors. He was the top try-scorer in France last season, with 14, and like Bielle-Biarrey has been a regular presence in the senior call-ups over the past year – a way for the staff to familiarise them with the senior set-up before throwing them into the deep end. La Rochelle flanker Paul Boudehent completes the trio of debutants.
The overriding feeling before the World Cup itself is one of vigilance – not least because Les Bleus have not faced their opening opponents and one of the teams they view as their main rivals – New Zealand – in nearly two years, when they clinched a watershed 40-25 victory. The All Blacks’ devastating win over Australia last week (38-7) will have scarcely been a source of optimism.
But if there’s one department where Galthié can draw confidence, it’s in his team’s strength in depth. The three consecutive Under-20 World Cup wins have shown that there is a constant flow of talent coming through, ready to push the senior players even further. Bielle-Biarrey and Gailleton are only the latest examples, and both will be more than willing to make their case at Murrayfield on Saturday.
