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France name team for Springboks and Picamoles is back

Montpellier won't be able to call on Louis Picamoles until next September at the earliest

Louis Picamoles and Camille Lopez return to France’s starting line-up to face South Africa in Paris on Saturday.

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Picamoles has not featured for Les Bleus since February, but the number eight gets the nod to make his first Test start for almost a year.

Lopez gets the nod at fly-half for what will be his first international appearance since March 2017, having put his injury woes behind him.

The versatile Damian Penaud will start on the wing for the first time in a Test, with Geoffrey Doumayrou and Mathieu Bastareaud making up the centre pairing.

Jacques Brunel has preferred Sebastien Vahaamahina to Paul Gabrillagues in the second row for the clash at Stade de France.

France: Maxime Medard, Teddy Thomas, Mathieu Bastareaud, Geoffrey Doumayrou, Damian Penaud, Camille Lopez, Baptiste Serin; Jefferson Poirot, Guilhem Guirado (captain), Cedate Gomes Sa, Sebastien Vahaamahina, Yoann Maestri, Wenceslas Lauret, Arthur Iturria, Louis Picamoles.

Replacements: Camille Chat, Dany Priso, Rabah Slimani, Paul Gabrillagues, Mathieu Babillot, Antoine Dupont, Anthony Belleau, Gael Fickou.

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Comments on RugbyPass

J
JD Kiwi 3 minutes ago
Chiefs make championship statement in Christchurch heavyweight bout

You must have missed his try assist kick a couple of weeks ago

12 Go to comments
Y
YeowNotEven 5 minutes ago
Chiefs' secret weapon again on show in regular season sweep of Crusaders

Me too. If Ben is the factor the crusaders as an organisation should be ashamed for taking this long to adjust.

4 Go to comments
Y
YeowNotEven 6 minutes ago
All Blacks selectors meet for 'first crack' at 2025 squad

Hey how about it’s an internet comment section and we can all say what we want and if any of these strangers are upset about it they can go have a cry.

Works fantastic.

12 Go to comments
G
GP 8 minutes ago
Crusaders v Chiefs takes: Sititi back with a bang, Chiefs justify favourites tag

Great comment. After all they were world beaters the week before against the Hurricanes. This comp has been like that all the way through.

9 Go to comments
G
GP 10 minutes ago
Crusaders v Chiefs takes: Sititi back with a bang, Chiefs justify favourites tag

Ethan Blackadder is not a”plodder” at test level. He played outstandingly against South Africa last year. Ask any one , who has played with , against or trained with him if he is a “plodder” ? Answer would be no.

9 Go to comments
I
IkeaBoy 11 minutes ago
Leo Cullen 'completely, 100 per cent' understands Leinster fan frustration

Bang on.


Conan looks to the sidelines at 79 mins to see what to do. Sticks or tap it?! Advice welcome.


A 3 PT game about to hit 80 mins with a routine penalty on offer. Any decent coach at the start of the season would explain that in those situations TAKE YOUR KICK.


Non-negotiable. It shouldn't even be a decision to make. Remove the decision making from the process.


It's at the stage where these ‘learning opportunities’ are now becoming mental scars for talented players.


I actually feel bad for big Jordie. He's been treated like dirt.

5 Go to comments
M
Mainlander 11 minutes ago
Chiefs' secret weapon again on show in regular season sweep of Crusaders

I would like someone to publish how many games the Crusaders have won and lost when Ben OKeeffe has been referee in the last 4 years

4 Go to comments
G
GP 13 minutes ago
Crusaders v Chiefs takes: Sititi back with a bang, Chiefs justify favourites tag

Todd Blackadder should have played way more tests for the All Blacks. He was dropped by media favourite John Hart in 1998 , the AB’s went on to lose 5 tests in a row. People seem to think great AB’s have to be flashy. The great Colin Meads was never that. He publicly backed Todd Blackadder. Todd Blackadder captained great Crusaders and Canterbury teams and was tough as teak. His son Ethan Blackadder is someone like his father , you would rather go to war with than against. You stick to your Mark Carters, Akira Ioane’s and who ever else you support/or supported.

9 Go to comments
I
IkeaBoy 16 minutes ago
Leo Cullen 'completely, 100 per cent' understands Leinster fan frustration

Any top tier coach with these squads and resources would be questioned even if they had a handful of major trophies.


He's been around close to a decade with heir last big one in 2018. Not a single meaningful trophy in their last 4 seasons is embarrassing.


That those loses have all been single figures and hung on some individual errors, only reflects on him. He can't coach it out of them. Not up to it.


Dublin 4 is a closed shop and at this rate they may not even keep Nienaber interested.


Pumping Zebre by 70 does not a season make.

5 Go to comments
I
IkeaBoy 29 minutes ago
Lions call-up reduced me to a sobbing wreck: Fin Smith

A likeable kid.


The hype machine seems to be centred around a different 20 something.


This is the lad with the complete game.

1 Go to comments
S
SC 31 minutes ago
Chiefs' secret weapon again on show in regular season sweep of Crusaders

I think Simon Parker is very much on the radar of the All Black selectors and is playing better than Samipeni Finau.

4 Go to comments
I
IkeaBoy 31 minutes ago
'What he’s given to this club is nothing short of incredible'

More than held his own across two decades in an era that was littered with exceptional flankers.


He would have been hateful to play against, which must be the ultimate compliment.


A one club man and a titan.

1 Go to comments
J
JH 1 hour ago
Chiefs make championship statement in Christchurch heavyweight bout

Didn’t particularly care who won, but then realized a final at the Crusaders ground would have everyone having to listen to their awful PA who can’t seem to shut up or play his spotify playlist every moment of the game.


Now he graces us with his ‘singing’ too. He should be going before Penney.

12 Go to comments
J
JS 1 hour ago
As the balance of power shifts away from Ireland, has Andy Farrell got his Lions calls right?

Ireland actually reminds me a bit of Australia after Larkham retired in 2007. Team was never really able to adjust to losing their most important player, despite the quality that remained. It has been almost 20 years that Australia has been trying to replace Larkham now. Hopefully Ireland doesn’t need to wait as long.

128 Go to comments
T
TM44 2 hours ago
Leo Cullen 'completely, 100 per cent' understands Leinster fan frustration

You & I have certainly had a few run ins, but I have to say when you're not involved in personal unpleasantries (takes two to tango I know, but man you take offense so easily) you actually write really good insightful interesting posts. Hopefully more of the latter.!

5 Go to comments
D
DH 2 hours ago
British and Irish Lions squad 2025: 10 losers from Andy Farrell's selection

Mack Hansen is a really good bloke, I'm sure Darcy Graham is a good man too but I think we all know why Hansen is on tour.

13 Go to comments
D
DH 2 hours ago
British and Irish Lions squad 2025: 10 losers from Andy Farrell's selection

I was talking about the manager.

13 Go to comments
R
RedWarriors 3 hours ago
Jordie Barrett produces man-of-the-match showing after benching drama

Serious mistake omitting Barrett for NH. Serious questions remain why the predictable curve balls available to NH against the rush defense were not mitigated for in advance. Leinster did not get tested for the first two rounds but the test was coming.

Look also at the incorrect decision re taking 3 points after the O’Brien ‘penalty where it lands’. The same conference has been happenning for years with the correct decision not often found.

In the URC v Connaught a kick to the corner refusing ane asy kick lead to a Connacht turnover and yellow for Leinster. Connacht scored a try and attacked again for the match against 14. They created an overlap and the tackle of the match saved them before the overlap could be cashed in. Leinster had another kickable penalty and amazingly the conference started again. Barrett ordered a kick at goal to put it out of reach. He was the man who had also saved/won the match for them with that penalty.


Why was this botched decision making not reviewed and eliminated in that match?

It honestly looks like the leadership hole left by Johnny Sexton has not been filled by the coaching group.

3 Go to comments
B
BA 4 hours ago
An England 23 Borthwick could pick after the Lions squad announcement

If England can beat Pumas over there without their top guns would be big scalp especially if Pumas are at full noise

8 Go to comments
C
Carlos 5 hours ago
Why ‘the curse of the Bambino’ is still stronger than ever at Leinster

Felipe and Manuel went to Cardinal Newman school and rugby club, ran by Irish priests. One of them left to found St Brendan’s. Newman, St. George’s and St Andrew’s are the traditional upper class Anglo schools of Buenos Aires. Only Newman now sustains great rugby. St George’s previously did and St Andrew’s was a feeder to many clubs.

In 1970 Ireland toured Argentina and the team visited Hurling Club near the city and left them their kits at the end of the tour. The party was memorable. My mother and three brothers played field hockey for Hurling. Also, some of the players visited St Brendan’s.


Some years ago, I met Barry Bresniham at a rheumatology meeting. Sadly he passed away of a brain tumor. Barry was a very charming man and we spoke about that 1970 visit. St Brendan’s posted a picture of him on the front door of the school.


I do know about the Irish. I sincerely appreciate and enjoy Mzilikazi here, for example. But you sound like the Aussie fan OJ. Angry and defensive. Be like the Irish I know and not like a sourpuss.

200 Go to comments
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