Fly-half Romain Ntamack is one of five new faces in the France starting XV for the clash with Scotland that will decide the destination of the 2021 Guinness Six Nations title.
Matthieu Jalibert has been sublime in the No.10 jersey for each of Les Bleus’ four games in this year’s Championship but a head injury suffered in the dramatic victory over Wales on Super Saturday rules him out.
Ntamack – who came off the bench in that clash once Jalibert departed – is a stellar replacement, having been nominated for Guinness Six Nations Player of the Championship last year and likely would have been France’s Round 1 starter this time around if not for a jaw injury suffered in December.
Fabien Galthié’s other enforced change comes in the second row, where Paul Willemse’s red card against Wales means he is suspended, but the Les Blues boss has opted for an all-new engine room of Swan Rebbadj and Bernard Le Roux.
Rebbadj came off the bench at the Stade de France last week, while Le Roux started the opening two games of this year’s Championship, which means Romain Taofifenua is benched.
In the back row, Anthony Jelonch is preferred to Dylan Cretin at blindside flanker, with the latter moving to the bench, while Arthur Vincent is the final new face in the starting line-up.
The Montpellier youngster, who scored a try in the Round 1 victory over Italy, starts at inside centre, with Gaël Fickou shifting to the wing and Teddy Thomas among the replacements.
RC Toulon fly-half Louis Carbonel was called into the wider squad as a replacement for Jalibert but misses out on the matchday 23, with Montpellier full-back Anthony Bouthier providing the No.10 bench cover.
As detailed in our scenarios piece here, Les Bleus must record a bonus-point win and at least a 21-point margin of victory over Scotland or notch a 20-point victory and score at least six tries to snatch the title away from Wales.
If they win by exactly 20 points, scoring exactly five tries, then the Championship title will be shared for the first time since 1988 – when, coincidentally, Wales and France were joint winners of the Five Nations.
France team to face Scotland in the final game of the 2021 Guinness Six Nations: 15. Brice Dulin (Stade Rochelais) 14. Damian Penaud (ASM Clermont) 13. Virimi Vakatawa (Racing 92) 12. Arthur Vincent (Montpellier) 11. Gaël Fickou (Stade Français) 10. Romain Ntamack (Stade Toulousain) 9. Antoine Dupont (Stade Toulousain) 1. Cyril Baille (Stade Toulousain) 2. Julien Marchand (Stade Toulousain) 3. Mohamed Haouas (Montpellier) 4. Bernard Le Roux (Racing 92) 5. Swan Rebbadj (RC Toulon) 6. Anthony Jelonch (Castres Olympique) 7. Charles Ollivon (RC Toulon) – captain 8. Grégory Alldritt (Stade Rochelais)
Replacements 16. Camille Chat (Racing 92) 17. Jean-Baptiste Gros (RC Toulon) 18. Uini Atonio (Stade Rochelais) 19. Romain Taofifenua (RC Toulon) 20. Dylan Cretin (Lyon OU) 21. Baptiste Serin (RC Toulon) 22. Anthony Bouthier (Montpellier) 23. Teddy Thomas (Racing 92)
