France – Ireland: Paul Willemse associated with Paul Gabrillagues, Yoram Moefana on the wing for the first match of the 6 Nations Tournament

La dernière fois que Paul Gabrillagues a porté le maillot des Bleus, c'était lors de la Coupe du monde 2019. MAXPPP – David Davies

The coach of the French XV Fabien Galthié revealed the team which will face Ireland this Friday February 2 (9 p.m.), on the first day of the 6 Nations Tournament.

The team

XV of France: Ramos – Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Moefana – (o) Jalibert, (m) Lucu – Ollivon, Alldritt ( cap), Cros – Willemse, Cros – Atonio, Mauvaka, Baille.

Substitutes : Marchand, Wardi, Aldegheri, R. Taofifenua, Woki, Boudehent, Le Garrec, Bielle-Biarrey.

The second row of Stade Français Paul Gabrillagues, who has not played in Blue since the 2019 World Cup in Japan, will start against Ireland in the match ;opening of the Six Nations Tournament, Friday in Marseille, where center Yoram Moefana will start on the wing.

Three months after the disappointment of the World Cup in France, coach Fabien Galthié brought back ten of the fifteen starters from the quarter-final lost to South Africa (29-28) .

Gabrillagues (30 years old, 16 caps) has not played for Blue since the quarter-final, lost against Wales (20-19), during the 2019 World Cup in Japan: 1580 days later, he will therefore experience a seventeenth cap, his first start since the victory against Tonga (23-21) in Japan, taking advantage of the injuries of Thibaud Flament and Emmanuel Meafou as well as the poor form of Cameron Woki.

🇫🇷⚡️☘️ 𝑹𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒛-𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒔 à Marseille ! 🔥#XVdeFrance #NeFaisonsXV #FRAIRL pic.twitter.com/9nYG34lTGZ

— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) January 31, 2024

Willemse returns

The captain of Stade Français is associated in the cage with Montpellier's Paul Willemse (31 years old, 31 selections), who missed the World Cup due to injury and who, for his part, was no longer holder since the victory against Australia (41-17) in August.

The other main novelty is Yoram Moefana: the Bordeaux-Bègles center has relegated his teammate Louis Bielle-Biarrey (20 years old, 7 selections), who started on the wing during the World Cup, to the bench. -2023 but less comfortable on aerial balls than Moefana, a key sector against the Irish holders.

The Futunien will play with the N.11 jersey in Blue for the first time since the victory against Fiji (34-17), on August 19.

Another entrant, third row François Cros (29 years old, 27 sel.), who will be lined up alongside Toulonnais Charles Ollivon and La Rochelle captain Grégory Alldritt. Cros, who was a substitute against the Boks, replaces his partner in Toulouse, Anthony Jelonch, injured in his right knee against Bath (31-19) in the Champions Cup nine days ago.

28 years and 31 average selections

Finally, scrum half Maxime Lucu (31 years old, 18 selections) is once again associated in the hinge with his Gironde teammate Matthieu Jalibert. Lucu, usual No.2 in the hierarchy, replaces captain Antoine Dupont, who gave up on the Tournament to prepare for the rugby sevens events of the Paris-2024 Olympic Games.

Still undefeated with the French XV, Lucu had already taken over as interim during the World Cup, after Dupont's jaw fractured.

In total, this selection has 28 years and 31 average selections.

The bench is articulated in 6-2 (six forwards, two backs), with Bielle-Biarrey and scrum half Nolann Le Garrec.