2023-09-13 15:53:52
The French XV rotates its squad on Thursday once morest Uruguay, an opponent incomparably more modest than New Zealand, which it beat at the opening of the rugby world championship. Returning from injury, Anthony Jelonch will captain a revamped France team which will seek to delight the crowd at the Stade Mauroy in Lille.
Published on: 09/13/2023 – 5:53 p.m.
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You can follow the France-Uruguay match live on the France 24 website
Do “Los Teros” have the means to fly in the Rooster’s feathers? The Uruguayans, whose emblem is a tero lapwing, will try, Thursday September 14, in Lille, to upset the French who are favorites for the world title. A match which will allow the Blues to blow away the victorious frames of the All Blacks in the opening match of the World Cup.
Even if Uruguay is in 17th place in the world rankings, there is no question of taking lightly “a team which has fighting values and a big heart”, assures coach Fabien Galthié. He made twelve changes to his starting XV: the only starters once morest the All Blacks remain center Yoram Moefana, second row Cameron Woki and winger Gabin Villière. Exit, for example, the scrum half Antoine Dupont, the third row Grégory Alldritt or the winger Damian Penaud, left to rest in anticipation of what comes next.
Objective of this second match for the Blues? Digest the summit once morest the All Blacks and “switch” to the rest, relying in particular on the “freshness” of the entrants. With this in mind, this XV “is the best team at the moment”, explains Galthié.
The French will be guided by third row Anthony Jelonch, who won his crazy bet: seriously injured in his left knee in February, operated on in March, the Toulouse player will return to the field. With the status of captain, which he already tasted during the summer tour to Australia in 2021.
Jelonch as captain
“Of course, I had doubts at the start of my rehabilitation, but I knew that I had six months and I really had this World Cup in mind. I worked very hard during these six months. I “I’m given the chance to come back. And today, coming back for this World Cup match, being captain, it’s a huge source of pride for me,” says Jelonch.
“I know that now my knee is holding up well. I’m 100%. With that, we can achieve great things. I will do everything to bring my teammates to victory,” promises the Toulouse third row. If they remain focused and serious, this does not seem likely to escape them.
This is the first real opposition between the two nations, the Uruguayans having already faced a French team in 1960 (61-0 defeat) and in 1985 (34-6 defeat). But these were unofficial matches in Montevideo, which did not deliver a cape.
Led by Castres scrum-half Santiago Arata (the only one with second row Manuel Leindekar to play at the highest level), the Uruguayans, who are taking part in their fifth final tournament, have won two of their three World Cup victories when they entered: in 1999, once morest Spain (27-15) then in 2019, in front of a more solid opponent, Fiji (30-27).
Scrum half Santiago Arata (center) will captain Uruguay once morest the Blues on September 14 in Lille. © AFP / Anne-Christine Pouloulat
Uruguay wants to win two matches
Facing France, the step is higher. Refusing to play the merchant of illusions, the coach, Esteban Meneses, had set, before the competition, the objective of this match: “The meeting once morest France will serve to gauge us, to define in which areas we will have to make progress and then hope to win the next two matches”, once morest Italy (on the 20th) then Namibia (on the 27th). Or do better than in 1999, 2003 and 2019 (a victory).
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“It’s our first match in the competition and it promises to be historic,” said his back coach, Joaquin Pastore. “Uruguay arrives in better shape than ever. Before, we were amateurs. Today, we can rely on a good pool of players who are all professionals,” he explains.
The majority wear the jersey of the Penarol Rugby franchise, which plays in Super Rugby Americas, the championship of the American continent which it won in 2022 and this season.
“For some time now, Uruguay has been trying more to impose its game. Obviously, it’s more difficult at this level of competition, but the idea remains the same: to offer things, both in defense and in attack, and not to suffer”, details winger Nicolas Freitas, who plays in Vannes, in French ProD2.
“By remaining wait-and-see once morest France, we are exposing ourselves to big problems. We want to take initiatives and take full advantage of the opportunity given to us to measure ourselves once morest a selection of the highest level in the world,” he continues. .
With AFP
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