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Brunel puts faith in teenager Ntamack over axed Bastareaud

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Uncapped teenager Romain Ntamack has been preferred to the axed Mathieu Bastareaud in the France team for the Six Nations opener against Wales on Friday.

Centre Bastareaud - who captained France last year - not only misses out on a place in the starting line-up, but he will not be on the bench at Stade de France either.

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Coach Jacques Brunel has put his faith in the 19-year-old Ntamack, whose father, Emile, won 46 caps for Les Bleus, to take on Warren Gatland's side after some eye-catching displays for Toulouse and France Under-20s.

Ntamack - the youngest player in any of this year's Six Nations squads - will be paired with Wesley Fofana, while South African-born lock Paul Willemse will also make his debut in Paris.

Brunel has reunited experienced scrum-half Morgan Parra and fly-half Camille Lopez for the start of the tournament.

Promising pop Demba Bamba, who made his international bow against Fiji last November, has only been named among the replacements.

 

France: Maxime Medard, Damian Penaud, Wesley Fofana, Romain Ntamack, Yoann Huget, Camille Lopez, Morgan Parra; Jefferson Poirot, Guilhem Guirado (captain), Uini Atonio, Sebastien Vahaamahina, Paul Willemse, Wenceslas Lauret, Arthur Iturria, Louis Picamoles.

Replacements: Julien Marchand, Dany Priso, Demba Bamba, Felix Lambey, Gregory Alldritt, Baptiste Serin, Gaël Fickou, Geoffrey Doumayrou.

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