Despite coming into the First Test as underdogs, France showed off their class as they pushed the Wallabies to the limit.
From seasoned campaigners to age-grade world champions to Sevens superstars, there’s plenty to look out for in this exciting French squad.
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1. Damian Penaud, wing/centre, 23 caps, 9 tries
The son of former French fly-half Alain Penaud (32 caps), wing/centre Damian won the first of his 22 caps just 17 years after his dad’s final cap in 2000, making his debut against South Africa in 2017.
Playing at outside centre, he scored in the 37-15 defeat, but has won the majority of his caps on the wing, scoring nine tries in the process, including three in the most recent Six Nations campaign.
Like his father Alain, he started his rugby life at Brive, but was released as a teenager, and signed by Clermont Auvergne, joining a squad packed with international legends such as Aurélien Rougerie, Morgan Parra and Wesley Fofana.
Seemingly unfazed, he learnt quickly from the likes of Rougerie, sharing a rugby belief with his peers.
His former coach in the France under-20s, Thomas Lièvremont has described Damian as a ‘free spirit’. “One has to allow him his liberty,” he said. “He likes to have the ball, to look for the space. I can’t think of anyone to whom I can compare him. He’s a unique player ... I can tell you that when he gets it into his head to defend, he can do some serious damage to his opponent.”
2. Cameron Woki, flanker, 6 caps
Ever since he played a key role in France’s 2018 U20 World Championship victory, Cameron Woki has been tipped to do great things on the international stage.
The Bordeaux Begles flanker made his Test debut from the bench against England in 2020, but it was during his two starts in the Autumn Nations Cup later that year – against Italy and England – that we started to see his potential.
Despite playing in a France that had 13 changes to his side that had played the week before, against Italy Woki was among those to step up putting in the seriously hard yards in a 36-5 win, and was retained in the starting line-up against England the following week and, from blindside, again showed the thrust and energy that has typified France in recent times.
In the Six Nations he was only added to the squad following the withdrawal of Gregory Alldritt, and appeared for a third time against England, but this could be the Test series where the 22-year-old puts down a serious marker in good time for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
3. Teddy Thomas, wing, 27 caps, 15 tries
Many of us will remember Teddy Thomas for dancing his way around four Wallabies to cross the whitewash in what was only his second Test back in 2014. Helping his side to a 29-26 win at the Stade de France, what was even more impressive from the then 21-year-old was that it came on the back of a debut hat-trick against Fiji the week before.
Teddy Thomas, the son of a Mali international footballer, had arrived and tries were going to follow. He’s duly delivered, scoring 15 in 27 Tests, including a brace against Italy in the most recent Six Nations campaign.
Biarritz-born, the 6ft 1in wing started his club career with his home-town side, but joined Racing Metro when they were relegated to France’s second tier. At Racing, like on the international stage, he scored on his debut, to open the floodgates, racking up 51 tries in 92 appearances since.
It’s not all been easy however, with the 27-year-old falling out of favour with then France coach Jacques Brunel at the last Rugby World Cup, but under Fabien Galthie, he has been brought back into the fold.
As the most experienced player on tour (two more caps than the next most capped, Romain Taofifénua), he’ll also need to set an example on and off the field for this young French side.
4. Romain Taofifenua, lock, 26 caps, two tries
A starter and try-scorer in France’s defeat of Six Nations champions Wales earlier this year, Romain Taofifenua is the elder statesmen of this youthful French squad at the age of 30.
The uncompromising lock was on the books for both Limoges and Clermont, before making his mark with Perpignan where he had a breakthrough season in 2012 and earned himself a first Test cap against Argentina that same year.
Although Perpignan were relegated that year, he’d done enough to catch the eye of big-spending Toulon, where he spent seven years, including playing in their 2015 Champions Cup triumph over Clermont.
Although many of his 25 caps have been from the bench, with just eight starts, at 6ft 7in and 297lbs, he’s going to be a big presence in every sense in this cap-shy squad. Physical but with plenty of technical ability, there will no quarter given by the Lyon-bound lock.
5. Gabin Villiere, wing, six caps, three tries
Aged 25 is comparatively late for a wing to come to the fore, but having plied his trade in the lower echelons of French rugby with division four Rouen in 2019, his recent emergence has been a long-time coming.
Once a scrum-half, he put on the pounds in the gym and became a force on the wing. Signing for Toulon in 2019, he quickly earned a cap in the Autumn Nations Cup a year later, scoring on his Test debut against Italy.
Selected against England the week after Fabien Galthie then showed faith in the wing to start him for the opening two Tests of the Six Nations against Italy (again) and Ireland before an injury sidelined him, forcing him to miss the remainder of the tournament.
Initially a part of France’s sevens squad before winning his caps at XVs, he returned to the abridged game last month in their last-ditch bid to qualify for the Olympics.
They failed to reach Tokyo, but he at least had the considerable consolation of adding more Tests caps down here in Australia, already shining with a double in the First Test
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6. Arthur Vincent, centre, 11 caps, one try
After appearing in both the 2018 and 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship victories, Fabien Galthie had no qualms in selecting the then 20-year-old Montpellier-born midfielder against England in the 2020 Six Nations.
Galthie said at the time: “Vincent is a player with a perfect career: he is part of the generation of the world champion under-20, captain last year. He is present at every match with his Montpellier club. He performs very well in training with us.
“We expect him to be himself, to bring us his strengths, his maturity and his youth, too. He is more of a multi-purpose centre that can play both the first and second centre positions.”
After coming off the bench against England, he showed enough maturity for Galthie to start him in three more Six Nations matches of the campaign, a feat he repeated in the most recent campaign, in which he started three in the centre (including a try-scoring performance against Italy), and came off the bench (against Wales) to play on the wing.
Only testing positive for coronavirus stopped him completing his Six Nations set in the final game against Scotland. Confidence and maturity beyond his 21 years and tipped by some to be a future France captain.
