France vs Fiji rugby Nations Championship kickoff time and TV channel, Digi Mart USA News (Lyon, France): The Nations Championship returns this early November with Les Bleus, coached by Fabien Galthié, facing four matches on the schedule, beginning with Fiji this Saturday. The competition, which has replaced the traditional autumn tour, brings together the leading teams of international rugby.
France launches a series of three matches against southern hemisphere nations in the new competition, before a potential final at the end of the month in London. After a narrow 34-32 defeat to New Zealand, the French side won in Australia 42-26 and in Japan 42-15.
Fabien Galthié’s team will face Fiji, South Africa and Argentina in turn. Currently first in the northern pool, France aims to stay there and earn a late-November final against the team currently first in the southern pool, South Africa, which remains unbeaten, as is New Zealand, with 15 points out of a possible 15.
France hosts Fiji in Lyon on Saturday at 9:10 p.m. local time.
As in July, all Nations Championship matches will be broadcast on TF1, with the France-Fiji match commentated by Stefan Etcheverry and Xavier Garbajosa.
Several key players are unavailable, including Marchand, Flament, Meafou, Ramos and Jalibert, along with promising players Brau-Boirie and Gazzotti. Coach Galthié and his staff have made several adjustments for this opening match.
Théo Attissogbe will start at fullback, behind a Dupont-Ntamack halfback partnership returning to the blue jersey for the first time since March 2025. Maxime Lamothe will start at hooker, with a second row of Verhaeghe and Guillard, while François Cros will play at number eight.
