Lucu starts against Azzurri - France name team to play Italy

France head coach Fabien Galthié has named his 23-man match-day squad for Friday's Pool A game against Italy in Lyon as Maxime Lucu starts at scrum-half in place of injured captain Antoine Dupont, Grégory Alldritt returns to the starting back-row as Francois Cros moves to the bench, and Louis Bielle-Biarrey again gets the nod over Gabin Villiere on the left wing.

1 Cyril Baille 
2 Peato Mauvaka 
3 Uini Atonio 
4 Cameron Woki 
5 Thibaud Flament 
6 Anthony Jelonch 
7 Charles Ollivon (c)
8 Grégory Alldritt 
9 Maxime Lucu 
10 Matthieu Jalibert 
11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey 
12 Jonathan Danty 
13 Gael Fickou 
14 Damian Penaud 
15 Thomas Ramos 

Replacements:
16 Pierre Bourgarit 
17 Reda Wardi 
18 Dorian Aldegheri 
19 Romain Taofifenua 
20 Francois Cros 
21 Baptiste Couilloud 
22 Yoram Moefana 
23 Melvyn Jaminet 

• Charles Ollivon will captain the team from the start for the first time since November 2022 against Japan in Toulouse, and the 14th time in his career. 
• This will be only the third time since Antoine Dupont made his international debut in 2017 that France have played against Italy without him. He missed their 34-17 victory in 2018 in Marseille and 36-5 victory in Paris in November 2020.
• Matthieu Jalibert has been named at fly-half after scoring the match winning try against Italy in February in the Six Nations as a replacement. He partners Maxime Lucu in the halves for the first time since their two-test tour of Japan in July 2022. 
• Damian Penaud has scored the most tries of any player in 2023 so far with 12. He is currently enjoying a six-game try-scoring streak, the longest of his career. He is France’s third all-time leading try-scorer with 33 Only Serge Blanco (38) and Vincent Clerc (34) have scored more.
• Louis Bielle-Biarrey has scored four tries in five tests for France after making his debut against Scotland in Edinburgh this year.