Le Garrec and Hastoy to steer France A against England

Nolann Le Garrec and Antoine Hastoy will form a strong half-back partnership for the France second-string XV that takes on an England XV in Saturday’s non-capped match at Allianz Stadium.

Le Garrec, along with Maxime Lucu, has served as back-up to France’s first-choice scrum-half Antoine Dupont over the past couple of seasons, winning 10 caps at the age of 23.

Fly-half Hastoy started both last summer’s Tests against Argentina and was key to a late-season run of form that almost carried La Rochelle into the Top 14 play-offs.

The pair will play alongside each other at club level next season with Le Garrec moving to La Rochelle from Racing 92 this summer.

Elsewhere the experienced Gael Fickou partners 21-year-old emerging star Emilien Gailleton in the centres, while 35-year-old Leinster prop Rabah Slimani, who has not played for his country in almost six years, starts in the front row.

Theo Attissogbe, who scored three tries in France’s run to the Six Nations title, starts at full-back with the uncapped duo of Alivereti Duguivalu and Mael Moustin on the wing.

Tyler Duguid, who grew up in Canada but moved to France as a teenager, is named in the second row with Mickael Guillard, one of the breakout successes of France’s Six Nations, at number eight.

France head coach Fabien Galthie is without players from Toulouse, Bordeaux-Begles, Toulon and Bayonne as they contest the Top 14 semi-finals.

France’s frontline stars are usually rested for the country’s summer tours, however, the federation has struck an agreement with their clubs to release a small number of Test regulars for the three-match series against New Zealand in July.

France A: Attissogbe; Moustin, Gailleton, Fickou, Duguivalu; Hastoy, Le Garrec; Erdocio, Barlot, Slimani, Auradou, Duguid, Fishcher, Tixeront, Guillard.