France welcome Argentina to the Stade de France on Friday night in the Autumn Nations Series, but both teams are in an entirely different place to where they were in the summer.
Fabien Galthie opted to deploy a squad littered with promising youngsters to give them exposure at Test level during their tour of South America, and despite the off-field issues they faced still came out with a decent record of one win and one loss against Los Pumas; but he has now turned to his main men to get the job done at home.
Antoine Dupont, Thomas Ramos, Gael Fickou, Uini Atonio and Emmanuel Meafou are just some of the heavy hitters back in the French squad this weekend, and Argentina should expect a much stronger challenge this time around.
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On the flip side, Argentina are also a completely different beast in comparison to the summer and are improving with every game. Los Pumas enjoyed their best-ever Rugby Championship campaign under new boss Felipe Contepomi, beating New Zealand, Australia and South Africa and coming within one win of a historic title, and they have continued their upward trajectory this Autumn too with an emphatic 50-18 victory over Italy and then a narrow 22-19 loss to Ireland last time out.
The important thing for Los Pumas is they are building continuity, with Contepomi regularly starting the likes of Tomas Al𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧oz, Rodrigo Isgro, Pablo Matera and Juan Cruz Mallia together.
With both teams likely to be vastly improved than the last time they met, this should be an absolute cracker in Paris.
Where the game will be won
Both sides pride themselves on their set-piece, and you feel this will be the key to victory on Friday night. France didn’t have their best day in the scrum against the All Blacks, and the return of Uini Atonio should go a long way to fixing their issues. Argentina, though, have a decent scrum of their own, with Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya and Joel Sclavi all improving as a unit each game.
The lineout will also be a massive part of the set-piece battle, and both sides should look to target it. Argentina used the lineout really nicely during the Rugby Championship, combining their powerful maul with some delicious strike moves, but France’s monsters are more than capable of disrupting their ball.
It almost seems a cliche at Test level, but this one will certainly come down to whoever gets the best of things in the set-piece.
What they said
Speaking before the game, France boss Galthie was full of praise for Los Pumas, saying: “They’re not afraid, they’re made up of great players who travel to Italy, France and England.
“They are constantly adapting to the world rugby eco-system,” he added.
“It’s very intelligent rugby, they’re a very difficult team to play against, one of the best nations in the world.”
A big talking point in his selection was the decision to axe superstar number eight Gregory Alldritt, but Galthie insisted this was purely for rest.
“These are choices that are shared internally. There’s no controversy around that. There’s no controversy about (Matthieu) Jalibert either. He needed to recover and we’re talking to him.”
Argentina counterpart Contepomi has also made some headlines with his selections, namely the returns of Marcos Kremer and Mateo Carreras.
Commenting on the pair, the former international said: “Marcos and Mateo will add enormous quality.”
He added: “We will see what they can do from the bench, but we believe they are doing very well (in training after injury). ”
Players to watch
For France, Louis Bielle- Biarrey has quickly proven himself to be a star in the making and will have a huge say on the game this weekend. His electric pace makes him such a valuable asset in their attack, but importantly he reads the game beautifully which then allows him to inject himself into the game.
Uini Atonio is a welcome return to the squad at tighthead. He has been the cornerstone of the French scrum for a number of years under Galthie, and should greatly improve their fortunes in this area after last weekend’s horror show. The prop will also add some serious beef to their attack too, as he likes to get his hands on the ball.
It wouldn’t be a French team preview if we didn’t mention Antoine Dupont either. The scrum-half has added real spark to this French side since his return from Sevens, and it’s arguably been what has allowed them to rediscover their best form. He has also improved massively as a player since playing the seven-a-side format and is just the complete player.
Los Pumas also have some seriously talented players of their own. Fly-half Tomas Al𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧oz has excelled this year for Argentina and has added some genuine flair and speed to their attack which has taken them to new heights. He is also a classy player in his own right and can sprinkle a touch of magic onto things.
It seems odd to pick a replacement as one to watch, but the return of Marcos Kremer will only be a positive for Los Pumas. He is such an industrious player on both sides of the ball, and brings so much physicality and desire to the tight exchanges which will be so crucial against this massive French pack.
Fellow back-rower Juan Martin Gonzalez is also going to have a big say on the outcome of the game. He is a really classy player and is a threat in almost every area. The Saracens man excels in the typical areas for a number seven, but also has the IQ and s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁set of a half-back and can generate serious momentum into their attack. His height also makes him so valuable in the lineout.
Main head-to-head
It might not be the most glamourous head-to-head in the world, but the battle at six between Francois Cros and Pablo Matera will be HUGE. Both players are criminally underrated, however, this is their chance to show why they are up there as some of the best back-rowers in the world.
Cros and Matera are so influential to their respective teams, as they do a lot of the ugly work around the park that lets the others flourish. They are super physical in defence, and can make some big carries when needed, but crucially they never stop working for their teams.
You feel whoever gets the better of this battle could define the outcome of the match.
Prediction
It’s a really tough one to predict, this, and it could easily swing both ways. Argentina have looked really solid in most parts of their game this calendar year, potentially minus that slow first-half against Ireland, and they should feel pretty confident heading into this game that they could spring another surprise. Despite this, though, you do feel it’s France’s game to lose. They will be full of energy after their heroic win last weekend, and with the energy of the home crowd should just about take them to another win. France by 5.
Previous results
2024: Argentina won 33-25 in Buenos Aires
2024: France won 28-13 in Mendoza
2021: France won 29-20 in Paris
2019: France won 23-21 in Tokyo
2018: France won 28-13 in Lille
2016: France won 27-0 in Tucuman
2016: Argentina won 30-19 in Tucuman
The teams
France: 15 Leo Barre, 14 Gabin Villiere, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Thomas Ramos, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Charles Ollivon , 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros.
Replacements: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Alexandre Roumat, 20 Mickael Guillard, 21 Marko Gazzotti, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Emilen Gailleton
Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Matias Moroni, 11 Bautista Delguy, 10 Tomas Al𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧oz, 9 Gonzalo Garcia, 8 Juaqin Oviedo, 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16, Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Ignacio Calles, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Marcos Kremer, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Santi Carreras, 23 Mateo Carreras
Date: Friday 23rd November
Venue: Stade de France
Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Andrea Piardi (FIR), Morné Ferreira (SARU)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
