After a disappointing 2024 VI Nations Tournament then a nightmarish tour of South America, Antoine Dupont's French XV wants to launch a new cycle on Saturday against Japan with the 2027 World Cup already in the back of their minds.
The Blues and Antoine Dupont are back. The French XV plays the first of its three test matches, against Japan this Saturday evening at the Stade de France. An anticipated match after a disappointing VI Nations Tournament and a summer tour in Argentina which turned into a nightmare for Fabien Galthié and his staff.
The kickoff for this poster will be given at 9:10 p.m by Argentinian referee Damian Schneider. The meeting will be broadcast live on TF1 with comments from journalist Stefan Etcheverry, new voice of rugby on the first channel. France-Japan will also be followed on the RMC antenna and live with commentary on the RMC Sport website and app.
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The Blues undefeated against Japan
Before facing the All Blacks next Saturday then against Argentina on Friday November 22, still at the Stade de France, the Blues, who will be able to count on the great return of their captain Antoine Dupont, will try to get their heads back in the right place facing to the Japanese. Their opponents are on paper well within their reach: over the last five months, Eddie Jones' players have foundered against England (52-17), Italy (42-14), Fiji (41- 17) or New Zealand (64-19).
“When we dissect his game and his matches, the first thing that stands out is the speed of his game. (…) It’s a team that loves carrying the ball, and that plays a lot in front of the defense,” summarized Fabien Galthié on Thursday at a press conference. Eddie Jones still relies on this philosophy: he warned that it would be necessary to “attack the French forwards” so that his team could have a chance of winning, by “playing as much as possible”. In seven confrontations, France has never lost against Japan, but has conceded a draw once.
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