France vs Fiji Championnat des nations preview, Digi Mart USA News: The French XV meets Fiji on Saturday, November 7, at 9:10 p.m. Paris time at Groupama Stadium in Décines, in the fourth round of the Championship of Nations.
The match is broadcast live on TF1, streamed on TF1+ and covered live on TF1info.
Fiji are an unpredictable side, capable of toppling the world’s best teams but also of struggling against more modest opponents. French lock Mickaël Guillard said the Flying Fijians excel in unstructured play and in chaotic zones, where loose balls and turnovers can create opportunities.
Attack coach Patrick Arlettaz described Fiji as a dangerous team and said the match would be difficult to win from the outset.
France come off a summer tour that was largely successful, with two wins and one narrow defeat. The fixture is a test ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Australia, which runs from October 1 to November 13, 2027, and it is the last chance before that tournament to face southern-hemisphere nations, including South Africa, the reigning world champions.
Head coach Fabien Galthié’s players see the window as a competition in its own right rather than a rehearsal. Guillard said the goal is to finish the tournament with a title and bring the trophy back to France.
To reach the grand final against the top southern nation on the weekend of November 27 to 29, France must finish first in the northern group standings.
France currently sit in that position with 12 points, behind the Springboks or All Blacks, who lead their pool with 15 points. Scotland have 11 points and England 10, so France have little room for error.
France enter the match with significant injury problems, with more than 130 players sidelined in the domestic Top 14 competition. The pack is heavily weakened, with Julien Marchand, Dorian Aldegheri, Demba Bamba, Emmanuel Meafou, Thibaud Flament, Joshua Brennan, Anthony Jelonch and Lenni Nouchi all unavailable.
Thomas Ramos and Matthieu Jalibert are also out, along with center Fabien Brau-Boirie.
The lineup will feature several newcomers, including lock Florian Verhaeghe (29, five caps), Kelvin Gourgues (21, four caps), Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang (26, two caps) and Esteban Capilla (23, no caps). Galthié said the team’s ambition remains intact, and possibly increased, because difficult moments require greater resolve.
A positive development is the return of the halfback partnership of Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack. The pair will reach their 30th appearance together for France, 609 days after their previous outing together.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who has scored nine tries in five matches in 2026, can set a record for most tries by a French player in a calendar year, currently held by Damian Penaud with 14 in 2023. He is also sixth on France’s all-time scoring list with 29 points, and a try would tie Philippe Sella for fifth place.
