France vs Fiji rugby team lineup, Digi Mart USA News: Paul Boudehent was back on the training ground at Marcoussis for the final collective session of the France rugby team before departing for Lyon, where the match against Fiji will be played. After being rested the previous day, the Rochelais player joined the starting group that the coaching staff has been using for several days, training alongside Cameron Woki and François Cros, the latter in the number 8 position.
This is good news for the coaching staff, which needs the power of the Rochelais player at a time when heavy forwards are in short supply in the French squad. Bayonne’s Esteban Capilla, who was on standby, will therefore have to wait for his first cap.
In the pack, the pairing of Verhaeghe and Guillard in the second row has been confirmed. This choice should effectively remove Hugo Auradou from the squad, although the Pau player had worked as a starter since the start of the camp last week.
The remaining questions appear to be resolved: Tom Staniforth, Charles Ollivon and Oscar Jégou are expected on the bench among the forwards, and Régis Montagne has been confirmed as the replacement right prop.
The players alternated between separate work and collective rehearsal, with a strong emphasis on defense and rucks, under the direction of Geoffrey Doumayrou. The session took place under the eye of Florian Grill, president of the French Rugby Federation, and vice-presidents Jean-Marc Lhermet and Abdelatif Benazzi.
After a meeting with the staff scheduled for early afternoon to announce the team and the five reserves, 14 players will be released to their clubs. The official announcement by Fabien Galthié is set for Thursday morning at a press conference, normally at 11 a.m.
but brought forward to 10 a.m. this time.
The French delegation will leave the Centre National de Rugby late in the morning and travel to Lyon by train.
The probable France lineup against Fiji: Gros, Lamothe, Falatea; Verhaeghe, Guillard; Boudehent, Woki, Cros; Dupont, Ntamack; Bielle-Biarrey, Moefana, Gourgues, Grandidier, Nkanang; Attissogbe. Replacements: Mauvaka, Poirot, Montagne, Staniforth, Ollivon, Jegou, Lucu, Gailleton.
