8 November 2026
France head coach Fabien Galthié has recalled a group of experienced internationals ahead of their autumn Nations Championship match against South Africa in Paris this coming Friday at 22:10 SAST.
The squad changes follow a 54-17 victory over Fiji in Lyon on Saturday, which was marred by key injuries in the backline. Les Bleus are aiming to overturn a poor recent record against the world champions, having won only once in their last ten meetings since 2009.
The home side faces a major selection problem at flyhalf after Romain Ntamack was forced off with a shoulder injury during his international return against Fiji. With playmakers Matthieu Jalibert and Thomas Ramos already unavailable, Louis Carbonel has been added to the 42-man training squad as cover. 32-year-old centre Gaël Fickou and 33-year-old winger Teddy Thomas also return to bolster the backline experience.
In the forwards, Toulouse hooker Julien Marchand has been recalled after successfully recovering from a thigh injury that kept him out since early October. Winger Gaël Dréan is another notable addition after scoring a try for Toulon on Saturday following a six-month lay-off.