Fabién Galthié did something unheard of this week, at least in his time running the French national team, and named an identical matchday squad for a second week running. It’s the first time France have fielded the same 23 men from one week to the next since Galthié’s predecessor, Jacques Brunel, did it back in the spring of 2019. Galthié says it’s because of the short turnaround between the fourth and fifth rounds of the championship. His side played in Cardiff last Sunday, came home that evening, took one day off, did one hard day’s training, and travelled to Lyon on Thursday ready for the captain’s run on Friday.
It’s a show of faith in the team that beat Wales 45-24, one that anyone who saw the way they defended in that match may wonder whether they really deserve, but also a sign of the times.
