France have named Yoram Moefana (pictured) to start at inside-centre in place of Jonathan Danty, who is recovering from a leg injury, in their match-day 23 to play New Zealand in the opening game of Rugby World Cup 2023 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Friday.
1 Reda Wardi
2 Julien Marchand
3 Uini Atonio
4 Cameron Woki
5 Thibaud Flament
6 François Cros
7 Charles Ollivon
8 Gregory Alldritt
9 Antoine Dupont
10 Matthieu Jalibert
11 Gabin Villiere
12 Yoram Moefana
13 Gaël Fickou
14 Damian Penaud
15 Thomas Ramos
Replacements:
16 Peato Mauvaka
17 Jean-Baptiste Gros
18 Dorian Aldegheri
19 Romain Taofifenua
20 Paul Boudehent
21 Maxime Lucu
22 Arthur Vincent
23 Melvyn Jaminet
- There are 13 survivors in the match-day 23 from the side which beat New Zealand 40-25 in 2021, including two of their three try-scorers that day - Damian Penaud and Peato Mauvaka.
- France captain Antoine Dupont will play his 50th career test, becoming the sixth scrum-half to achieve the milestone for Les Bleus.
- After 17 tests as captain, Dupont is yet to lose a match on home soil as skipper, winning all 12. His only loss as captain came against Ireland earlier this year in Dublin.
- Dupont will be looking to become the first scrum-half captain to lift the Webb Ellis Cup since Australia's Nick Farr-Jones at Twickenham in 1991.
- Damian Penaud has scored a try in his last four tests, the best run of his career, and is Les Bleus' leading try-scorer this year with eight.
- Gaël Fickou, playing in his third Rugby World Cup, will play his seventh test against the All Blacks, 10 years after his first against them at this venue.
- Fickou is the most capped player in the match-day 23 with 81 tests, and joins Imanol Harinordoquy and Louis Picamoles as the 10th most capped player of all-time for France.
