After the fanfare of France’s first game – the opening match of the Rugby World Cup against the mighty All Blacks – it will be slightly less fervent in Lille on Thursday night.
The supporters can, to some degree, relax, knowing that they have already taken a rather large step in reaching the quarter-finals. In fact, some may say Les Bleus have already got there, but no doubt Italy will have something to say about that when the two teams collide in the final encounter in Pool A.
Uruguay should ultimately not prove too much of a challenge, although they continue to develop as a rugby nation and provided one of the shocks of the tournament in 2019 when they defeated Fiji.
They also have several French-based players, so there will be a sense of familiarity for some of the Uruguayans taking to the field at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
That may help the South Americans to keep the score slightly down, but we cannot see them getting too close to a France outfit that are full of confidence after their opening day win.
Head coach Fabien Galthie may well have made mass changes to his starting line-up but, as his side have consistently shown over the past few years, whoever steps in seems to know their role. They are a well drilled unit and it will be a party atmosphere in the north east of the country on Thursday.
What they said
Galthie admits that the shorter turnaround will be a challenge having spent so long preparing for their World Cup opener against New Zealand.
“We had to switch from a match we had focused on for three years to this one against Uruguay in a short space of time,” he said.
“We’ve put together a team that we feel is ready in terms of freshness, preparation and combinations.”
Full-back Melvyn Jaminet insists that the players will not be relaxing for this encounter, despite their huge result in the first match.
“The fact that we’ve won against the (All) Blacks inevitably takes the pressure off us. But we mustn’t let up, the staff won’t let us,” Jaminet said.
“When we get up in the morning and don’t do the paperwork, they’re there to remind us.”
Meanwhile, Uruguay coach Joaquin Pastore is hugely excited about playing hosts France in Lille.
This will be Los Teros’ first clash in the 2023 global tournament and Pastore insists that they can do something special.
“We are crazy about making history in this World Cup,” he said. “It is our first match in the World Cup and it will be historic.
“First time against France. Uruguay is arriving in a way that it has never done before. Before we were amateurs, and today we arrived with a good player base.”
That confidence is shared by wing Ignacio Facciolo, who insists that Uruguay are not writing off this game.
“We do not rule out the France and New Zealand games,” Facciolo said. “We are going to play them as equals and we are going to go out and win. Uruguay will never give up a game as a lost cause.”
Players to watch
With Galthie making 12 changes, plenty of players are getting an opportunity to stake their claim, including 20-year-old Louis Bielle-Biarrey. Damian Penaud and Gabin Villiere very much have those wing spots nailed down but, such has been Bielle-Biarrey’s progression, it wouldn’t be a surprise should he put himself in contention for a place in the 23 for the more important matches. The Bordeaux-Begles man has a slight frame, which means he is more about pace and footwork than power, but he is also quick in mind and reads the game extremely well.
Bielle-Biarrey will thrive if Antoine Hastoy can dictate the match well from fly-half. While the pressure was on Matthieu Jalibert last week following Romain Ntamack’s tournament-ending injury, Hastoy has a similarly big responsibility on Thursday. He is ultimately the next in line should Jalibert be as unlucky as Ntamack and Galthie will need to know that he can relay on the La Rochelle playmaker.
Up front, it is wonderful to see Anthony Jelonch return from injury. It shows just how highly the back-rower is rated by the coaches given that this will be his first match since February, when he ruptured his ACL during their Six Nations clash with Scotland. It will be a good way for him to ease back from his lengthy absence in a large pack which also contains Romain Taofifenua.
Thibaud Flament and Cameron Woki performed well enough as a combination against the All Blacks, but you just worry that those two perhaps lack the size, especially when it comes to tight knockout matches. Taofifenua is therefore the more natural replacement for the injured Paul Willemse and a good performance will help his chances of becoming a more regular starter.
Those French players should have too much quality for Uruguay, but they will have to be wary of Los Teros’ outstanding playmaker Santiago Arata. It is only the fact that he plays for a supposed ‘minnow’ on the international stage which is preventing him from being recognised as one of the world’s best scrum-halves. Arata has excelled in the Top 14 since joining Castres in 2020 and, alongside the likes of Antoine Dupont, is among the best number nines in the competition.
Santiago Arata loves scoring in big games#RWC2019 | @RugbyUruguay pic.twitter.com/pfcwGppPxp
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) June 17, 2022
Obviously, his influence in this encounter may be limited given that Uruguay simply don’t have the overall quality to compete with Les Bleus but, if another France-based player, Bayonne’s Manuel Leindekar, can step up, Arata will have some sort of platform to work from. Leindekar is an excellent athlete and, at 6ft 8in, will hopefully provide some good ball at the lineout, while also throwing his 18st weight around the field in the loose.
The lock is joined in the pack by a couple of talented back-rowers in the form of Manuel Ardao and Manuel Diana. Ardao is excellent at the breakdown and will be tasked with making life difficult for the French at the contact area, while Diana is a good ball carrier at the base of the scrum and will take on a lot of work in possession, trying to get his team across the gain line.
Prediction
There is no doubt who will win this game but Uruguay do have some players that can hurt Les Bleus, especially in the form of Arata. Galthie’s men therefore have to be wary of not being too complacent after doing the difficult work last weekend. However, we doubt the coaches will let that happen and they will secure a dominant victory. France by 32 points.
Previous results
1985: France won 34-6 in Montevideo (uncapped Test)
1960: France won 59-0 in Montevideo (uncapped Test)
The teams
France: 15 Melvyn Jaminet, 14 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 13 Arthur Vincent, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Gabin Villière, 10 Antoine Hastoy, 9 Maxime Lucu, 8 Anthony Jelonch (c), 7 Sekou Macalou, 6 Paul Boudehent, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 4 Cameron Woki, 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 2 Pierre Bourgarit, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Sipili Falatea, 19 Bastien Chalureau, 20 Thibaud Flament, 21 Francois Cros, 22 Baptiste Couilloud, 23 Thomas Ramos
Uruguay: 15 Baltazar Amaya, 14 Bautista Basso, 13 Tomas Inciarte, 12 Andres Vilaseca (c), 11 Nicolas Freitas, 10 Felipe Etcheverry, 9 Santiago Arata, 8 Manuel Diana, 7 Santiago Civetta, 6 Manuel Ardao, 5 Manuel Leindekar, 4 Felipe Aliaga, 3 Ignacio Peculo, 2 Guillermo Pujadas, 1 Mateo Sanguinetti
Replacements: 16 Facundo Gattas, 17 Matias Benitez, 18 Reinaldo Piussi, 19 Ignacio Dotti, 20 Lucas Bianchi, 21 Carlos Deus, 22 Agustin Ormaechea, 23 Felipe Berchesi
Date: Thursday, September 14
Venue: Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
Kick-off: 21:00 local (20:00 BST, 19:00 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Paul Williams (New Zealand), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
READ MORE: Rugby World Cup organisers officially make a call on ‘utterly butchered’ anthems
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