France must win against Wales in Round 5 of the 2023 Under-20s Six Nations if they are to stand any chance of chasing down leaders Ireland.
Les Bleuets are coming off the back of a resounding 42-7 win against England in Round 4 that left them three points behind the defending champions, meaning they also need Richie Murphy’s side to lose on Sunday.
In stark contrast, Wales are still in the hunt for their first win of the Championship, having fallen to a 29-25 defeat in last Friday’s clash with Italy.
However, Byron Hayward’s side have shown they are a match for anyone during the Championship and even led at half-time against Ireland.
So, fans should expect a competitive clash, and both head coaches have shuffled their pack ahead of Sunday.
Where to watch:
Kick-off comes at 8pm on Sunday March 19 at Stade Charles-Mathon and the action is live on BBC iPlayer and Flo Sports.
France Team News
France head coach Sebastien Calvet has made big changes in his back line ahead of Sunday’s game.
In the back three, Louis Bielle-Biarrey moves from wing to full-back, with Mathis Ferte dropping to the bench.
Paul Costes is one of two new faces in the back line, starting at outside centre, while Axel Desperes comes in at fly-half with Hugo Reus dropping out of the squad entirely.
In the forwards, Zaccharie Affane remains at tighthead prop, but Luca Tabarot and Thomas Lacombe come in at loosehead and hooker for Louis Penverne, who is included on the bench, and Pierre Jouvin.
Lenni Nouchi and Posolo Tuilagi return in the engine room, while the final change sees Mathis Castro-Ferreira come in for Esteban Capilla at flanker.
France Under-20s Starting XV: 15 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 14 Léo Drouet, 13 Paul Costes, 12 Emilien Gailleton, 11 Nicolas Depoortere, 10 Axel Desperes, 9 Baptiste Jauneau; 1 Luca Tabarot, 2 Thomas Lacombre, 3 Zaccharie Affane, 4 Lenni Nouchi, 5 Posolo Tuilagi, 6 Oscar Jegou, 7 Mathis Castro-Ferreira, 8 Marko Gazzotti
Replacements: 16 Julien Ratajczak, 17 Louis Penverne, 18 Karl Sorin, 19 Brent Liufau, 20 Clément Sentubery, 21 Leo Carbonneau, 22 Arthur Mathiron, 23 Mathis Ferte
Wales Team News
Wales Under-20s have made five changes to their starting XV as they look to move off the bottom of the table.
Most of those modifications come in the back line, with scrum-half Harri Williams and centre Tom Florence both set to make their first starts of the campaign in place of Louie Hennessey and Archie Hughes.
Oli Andrew returns to the starting line-up in place of Harri Houston out wide.
In the forwards, Scarlets hooker Lewis Morgan and Ospreys tighthead prop Louis Fletcher get their first starts replacing Sam Scarfe and Tomas Pritchard respectively.
Wales Under-20s Starting XV: 15 Cameron Winnett, 14 Oli Andrew, 13 Tom Florence, 12 Bryn Bradley, 11 Llien Morgan, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Harri Williams; 1 Dylan Kelleher Griffiths, 2 Lewis Morgan, 3 Louis Fletcher, 4 Liam Edwards, 5 Jonny Green, 6 Ryan Woodman (Capt), 7 Lucus De La Rua, 8 Morgan Morse
Replacements: 16 Lewis Lloyd, 17 Freddie Chapman, 18 Tomas Pritchard, 19 Mackenzie Martin, 20 Gwilym Evans, 21 Che Hope, 22 Harrison James, 23 Kian Abraham