France Under-20s have made five changes to the starting line-up for their clash with Ireland in Aix-en-Provence on Friday night.
Les Bleuets got off to a strong start in the Six Nations Under-20s 2022 with a 41-15 win over Italy but now take on leaders Ireland, fresh off a thumping win of their own against Wales.
And France manager Jean-Marc Béderède has stuck with his policy of trying to give as much game time as possible to his entire squad, with five new faces in the starting line-up.
Esteban Capilla and Malohi Suta come into the back row in place of skipper Killian Tixeront and No.8 Théo Ntamack respectively, with centre Louis Le Brun taking over the captaincy.
There is a third change in the pack where second row Matthieu Uhila of Montpellier comes in for Hugo Auradou.
In the backs, Montpellier fly-half Louis Foursans-Bourdette gets the nod, while Agen winger Jefferson Joseph replaces Axel Bevia out wide.
On the bench, front-rowers Lucas Martin and Louis Penverne could get their first taste of the Championship, while back-rowers Noé Della Schiava and Jules Coulon and scrum-half Aubin Eymeri are also named.
Béderède said: “This selection of 23 players is based on the decision made on how to manage the Championship. That is to say, that we are trying to manage the squad for the competition.
“We want to give players the chance to express themselves in high-level games. To do that, there are a number of players who were part of the squad at the start and who will have the chance to express themselves on the pitch.”
France Under-20s team to face Ireland:
15. Max Auriac, 14. Jefferson Joseph, 13. Emilien Gailleton, 12. Louis Le Brun, 11. Enzo Reybier, 10. Louis Foursans-Bourdette, 9. Baptiste Jauneau, 1. Matis Perchaud, 2. Victor Montgaillard, 3. Robin Bellemand, 4. Samuel M’Foudi, 5. Matthieu Uhila, 6. Léo Banos, 7. Esteban Capilla, 8. Malohi Suta
Replacements: 16. Lucas Martin, 17. Louis Penverne, 18. Valentin Simutoga, 19. Raphaël Portat, 20. Noé Della Schiava, 21. Jules Coulon, 22. Aubin Eymeri, 23. Ethan Randle
