France v Namibia preview: Fabien Galthie uses ‘Darwin’s theory’ to explain selection method

Rugby World Cup Pool A: France v Namibia

Venue: Stade de Marseille Date: Thursday, 21 September Kick-off: 20:00 BST

Coverage: Listen to BBC radio commentary, plus live text updates on the BBC Sport website and app.

France head coach Fabien Galthie has said “adaptability” is key to his team selections as he attempts to steer the hosts to Rugby World Cup success.

After beating New Zealand in the tournament’s opening game, Galthie made 12 changes for the win against Uruguay.

A further 12 alterations have been made for Thursday’s game against Namibia.

“Our method is based on adaptability. We adapt according to deadlines. It’s Darwin’s theory – the most intelligent species adapts,” said Galthie.

“We hear a lot of talk about team compositions. It’s important to remember that we compose our teams on a weekly basis.

“We have a vision of the preparation, rotation, we look at performances, we need everyone.

“The match against the All Blacks was clearly identified. The match was a success for the group, not just for the team. For the match against Uruguay, those who had played the All Blacks needed to recover.

“After the match in Lille, we had seven days to put the All Blacks players back into a classic rotation. This is the team we fielded the day after the Uruguay match.”

France struggled to hit the heights of their opening win over New Zealand when beating Uruguay 27-12, but are in a strong position to top Pool A, which is currently headed by Italy after they recovered to beat Uruguay 38-17 on Wednesday.

Centre Jonathan Danty and prop Cyril Baille have recovered from their respective injuries to make their first appearances of the World Cup against minnows Namibia, who have conceded a total of 18 tries in their two defeats to date.

“Above all, we want to enjoy it, while paying due respect to Namibia,” said full-back Thomas Ramos. “We want to score points and tries, but that will come through respecting our game and each other.

“We have to be patient. Even if they’re a weaker team on paper, we’re not going to win by giving the ball away. We also want to improve our attacking systems. That’s our target for the match.”

Line-ups

France: Ramos; Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Bielle-Biarry; Jalibert, Dupont; Baille, Mauvaka, Atonio; Woki, Flament; Cros, Ollivon, Jelonch.

Replacements: Bourgarit, Wardi, Aldegheri, Taofifenua, Boudehent, Couilloud, Moefana, Jaminet.

Namibia: Van der Bergh; Mouton, Deysel, Burger, Greyling; Loubser, Theron; Sethie, Van der Westhuizen, Coetzee, Tjeriko, Ludick, Katjijeko, Retief, Gaoseb.

Replacements: Nortje, Benade, Shifuka, Van Lill, Hardwick, Blaauw, Izaacs, Rossouw.