Australia coach Mike Cheika has rested most of his top names for Saturday’s clash with France as the Test is the only one on the tour that is not part of the Wallabies’ grand slam bid.
Cheika made seven changes to the team who beat Scotland 23-22 last Saturday and 11 players who took part in the Murrayfield match or the 32-8 victory over Wales will not start at the Stade de France.
Israel Folau, Michael Hooper, Bernard Foley, Stephen Moore and Dane Haylett-Petty, the only players to play in all Australia’s Tests this year, will not start on Saturday.
Cheika handed centre Kyle Godwin his first cap and gave first starts to Tolu Latu, Allan Alaalatoa, Sefa Naivalu and Luke Morahan.
“I just think it’s the right time to let a guy prepare as a starter. Sometimes on the finishers, it’s hard to know what you’re going to get because you don’t know when you’re going to go on, it’s hard to prepare,” Cheika said on Thursday.
Defensive challenge
France manager Guy Noves named Fijian-born wingers Noa Nakaitaci and Virimi Vakatawa as Les Bleus brace for a defensive challenge against Australia.
Vakatawa, who scored a hat-trick of tries in Saturday’s 52-8 victory over Samoa, and his Clermont team-mate Nakaitaci will start alongside centres Remi Lamerat and Wesley Fofana.
Nakaitaci has scored seven tries in eight appearances for leaders Clermont in the French Top 14 this season and the club will have five starters on Saturday.
“Of course, Clermont’s success explains why,” said Noves. “The game Clermont has been playing appeals to us.”
Noves made five changes to the team who thrashed Samoa, with Nakaitaci coming in for Huget and Jean-Marc Doussain taking over at outhalf after Francois Trinh-Duc was ruled out of the series with a broken forearm.
Flanker Charles Ollivon replaces Loann Goujon who is out injured while lock Sebastien Vahamahina takes Julien Le Devedec’s place and prop Cyril Baille gets his first start in place of the injured Jefferson Poirot.
Two changes
Reeling South Africa received a selection boost after experienced winger Bryan Habana was named by coach Allister Coetzee to face Italy in Florence on Saturday.
The return of Habana in place of JP Pietersen is one of two changes to the starting line-up from the side that lost 37-21 to England last weekend, a sixth defeat in 10 Tests for the Springboks in 2016.
The other sees Nizaam Carr make a first start for the side at flanker as South African Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit moves to the secondrow in place of Eben Etzebeth who has concussion.
Habana missed the defeat at Twickenham following a knee injury.
England coach Eddie Jones said on Thursday he will delay naming his team for the test against Fiji on Saturday due to injury concerns.
Forwards Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes and centre Elliot Daly are still carrying knocks from last weekend’s 37-21 victory over South Africa.
