A battle of the 4th and 5th ranked sides in the world sees France host Argentina at the Stade de France this Friday night in a match that promises to be tense and exciting.
We look at the match from a betting angle and share some betting options.
FRANCE
France are coming off the back of a memorable win against New Zealand last weekend where they held out to beat them 30-29. New Zealand dominated the 1st half but France hung in to trail by just 7 points at the break. A 2 try burst by the hosts shortly after play resumed put them ahead and the final quarter saw the teams trading penalties with the home team hanging on for the win.
The week before they hosted Japan where they won the match comfortably, the final score ending 52-12.
France starting lineup
15 Leo Barre, 14 Gabin Villiere, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Thomas Ramos, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Charles Ollivon, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros.
Replacements: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Alexandre Roumat, 20 Mickael Guillard, 21 Marko Gazzotti, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Emilen Gailleton
France have made four changes to their starting lineup from last week’s match against New Zealand. The biggest surprise was Grégory Alldritt not being included in the match day 23, but the coaching staff have made it clear it is to allow him to rest rather than performance related.
ARGENTINA
Argentina had an extremely solid performance last weekend against Ireland but ended up coming short losing the match 22-19. They fell behind early and were also down to 14 but they came back strongly and in the end they had the Irish hanging on for victory.
They dominated the week before beating Italy 18-50 away from home and in the Rugby Championships they had victories over New Zealand, Australia and South Africa for the 1st time.
Argentina starting lineup
15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Matias Moroni, 11 Bautista Delguy, 10 Tomos Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Garcia, 8 Juaqin Oviedo, 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16, Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Ignacio Calles, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Marcos Kremer, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Santi Carreras, 23 Mateo Carreras
Argentina have made only one change to the starting lineup at scrumhalf which sees Gonzalo Garcia come in to replace Gonzalo Bertranou. Kremer and Carreras return from injury to bolster the bench.
Head-to-head
France have won four out of the last five encounters between the two sides while Argentina have won the most recent fixture, where the match ended 33-25 in Argentina against a 2nd string French side. The last time Argentina beat France in France was in 2014 where they won 13-18.
Betting and Verdict
France are firm favorites to win and are trading at 1.22 while the bookies have Argentina trading at 5.00 and the draw at 34.00. The handicap at the time writing is France [-10.5] at 1.95.
France’s tour of Argentina earlier this year saw them win the first match 13-28 and only lose the second match by eight points. They managed to do this while taking a squad that was missing most of its key players.
The French are coming off the back of a huge win against New Zealand and will have plenty of momentum going into the match albeit the 6 match turnaround is not ideal.
Argentina are becoming more consistent but still battle to put 2 big performances together in successive weeks and I am looking to France to beat the handicap.
Suggested Bet: Handicap, France [-10.5] at 1.95.
France and Argentina are two teams that are known for their attacking ability in the game. They play an expansive style of rugby often stretching teams wide apart and putting their wings over the try line. Last week both France and Argentina’s first tries were scored by their fullbacks. I think we are going to see the ball given plenty of air this weekend.
Suggested Bet: Position to score first try, 11, 14 or 15 at 2.50.
Click here for all France v Argentina betting
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
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