Such is the stability of the Wales squad that Warren Gatland is in the position that he could’ve named his starting fifteen six months ago, with the exception of Biggar for the injured Gareth Anscombe.
However, Jonathan Davies is a very late withdrawal with injury bringing Owen Watkin in to start and Leigh Halfpenny onto the bench.
Huge young prop and recent Saracens recruit, Rhys Carre, makes the bench and the remarkable year of Aaron Wainwright – who only starting playing rugby five years ago – continues as he starts his fourteenth test on the trot.
France, meanwhile,field yet another new centre partnership in Fickou and Vakatawa and have Romain Ntamack at 10, a 20-year-old who isn’t even first choice out-half for his club – and that’s before you even get into the rumours that the players are not speaking to either each other or the coaches.
However, Antoine Dupont is one of the best scrum-halves in world rugby and all of France’s few good spells recently have been when he and wing Damian Penaud go well. The forwards are also a powerful unit and could give Wales some bruises in periods, but I still don’t see it being enough to overcome this Wales side.
At all.
Wales: Liam Williams; George North, Owen Watkin, Hadleigh Parkes, Josh Adams; Dan Biggar. Gareth Davies; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Tom Francis, Jake Ball, Alun Wyn Jones (captain), Aaron Wainwright, Justin Tipuric, Josh Navidi.
Replacements: Elliot Dee, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Adam Beard, Ross Moriarty, Tomos Williams, Rhys Patchell, Leigh Halfpenny.
France: Maxime Medard; Damian Penaud, Virimi Vakatawa, Gael Fickou, Yoann Huget; Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont; Jefferson Poirot, Guilhem Guirado (captain), Rabah Slimani, Bernard Le Roux, Sebastien Vahaamahina, Wenceslas Lauret, Charles Ollivon, Gregorie Alldritt.
Replacements: Camille Chat, Cyril Baille, Emerick Setiano, Paul Gabrillagues, Louis Picamoles, Baptiste Serin, Camille Lopez, Vincent Rattez
