The 2025 Six Nations is here! The action kicks off in Paris where Wales will be hoping to stun title hopefuls France at the Stade de France.
France enter this one as favourites, where a victory would pile misery on Wales and extend their record 12-game losing streak. However, Wales boss Warren Gatland has said he believes his side can prove their doubters wrong. Can they do just that in the French capital?
Here is everything you need to know about Friday’s clash.
Key details:
When: Friday, Jan. 31 at 8.15 p.m. UK
Where: Stade de France, Paris
How to watch: You can wach live on the ITV (UK). You can also follow along with live updates on ESPN.
Officials: Referee: Paul Williams (NZ)
Assistant Referees: Chris Busby (Ire) & Jordan Way (Aus)
Television Match Official: Brett Cronan (Aus)
Lineups:
France: Jean-Baptiste Gros, Peato Mauvaka, Uini Atonio, Alexandre Roumat, Emmanuel Meafou, Francois Cros, Paul Boudehent, Gregory Alldritt, Antoine Dupont (captain), Romain Ntamack, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Yoram Moefan, Pierre-Louis Barassi, Theo Attissogbe, Leo Barre.
Replacements: Julien Marchand, Cyril Baille, Georges-Henri Colombe, Hugo Auradou, Mickel Guillard, Oscar Jegou, Nolann Le Garrec, Emilien Gailleton.
Wales: Gareth Thomas, Evan Lloyd, Henry Thomas, Will Rowlands, Dafydd Jenkins, James Botham, Jac Morgan (captain), Aaron Wainwright, Tomos Williams, Ben Thomas, Josh Adams, Owen Watkin, Nick Tompkins, Tom Rogers, Liam Williams.
Replacements: Elliot Dee, Nicky Smith, Keiron Assiratti, Freddie Thomas, Tommy Reffell, Rhodri Williams, Dan Edwards, Blair Murray.
Team news:
France: The formidable half-back pairing of Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack is the standout bit of team news for France ahead of this Championship. Dupont returned to Les Bleus in November, guiding them to wins over New Zealand and Argentina. Various injuries have kept Ntamack on the international sidelines since before the last World Cup.
Winger Damien Penaud has been ruled out of the opening match with a toe injury, opening the door for 20-year-old Theo Attissogbe to shine in the 14 jersey. The forward pack is largely settled with the front-row of Jean-Baptiste Gros, Peato Mauvaka and Uini Atonio likely to cause the Welsh pack plenty of problems.
Wales: Despite hopes he would be available for the series opener, veteran No. 8 Taulupe Faletau has not been named for Wales. However, Warren Gatland is fortunate to be able to call on other players with a host of experience, including fullback Liam Williams, winger Josh Adams. Wales will be captained by flanker Jac Morgan, while last year’s Six Nations skipper Daffyd Jenkins also returns to the side at lock.
Elliot Dee and Nicky Smith also offer experience from the bench, while Dan Edwards is in line to make his debut.
Information from Reuters contributed to the team news of this report.