France coach Fabien Galthie on Thursday announced an unchanged side to face England in a potential Six Nations decider this weekend.
Galthie kept faith in the squad that delivered the 45-24 win over Wales last week, opting for continuity in the showdown against Steve Borthwick’s England in Lyon on Saturday.
He had made eight changes before the win over Wales after a drab draw with Italy previously but has no injury or suspension worries before this weekend’s match.
“It’s ideal to be able to keep the same team. The team won, put in a great performance last weekend,” Galthie told reporters.
“The team had changed a lot. It’s what we had felt for a while.
“We chose to do things with consistency, we preferred to see what happened on the field, feel energy and react,” he added.
Gregory Alldritt captains the side with Leo Barre, Nicolas Depoortere, Emmanuel Meafou and Georges-Henri Colombe keeping their places after making their debuts in Cardiff.
England can win the Six Nations with a bonus-point victory in Lyon if table-topping Ireland lose to Scotland earlier in the day without a bonus point.
France also have a chance of lifting the title, if they beat England with a bonus point, Ireland suffer defeat without a bonus point and there is a significant points difference swing in Les Bleus’ advantage.
© Agence France-Presse
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