The Premiership returns this weekend with three showpiece games back-to-back at major stadiums on Saturday. Gloucester take on Leicester at Aston Villa's Villa Park for the first time as they swap Kingsholm for Birmingham. Bristol Bears return to Cardiff's Principality Stadium to play Harlequins, and Saracens face table-toppers Northampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. There are also games on Friday night and Sunday before the Premiership takes a short two-week break as teams return to European action. The composition of the French team to face Scotland was unveiled on Thursday by Fabien Galthié, according to reports.
In the Premiership, Christian Wade returns to the Newcastle Red Bulls for the visit of play-off chasing Exeter Chiefs to Kingston Park. Wade recently signed a one-year contract extension with Red Bulls. Second row Oscar Usher and centre Rhys Beeckmans come into the Newcastle team, while loan arrival Ben Healy is named as a replacement for Newcastle. Exeter centre Nick Lilley is included for his first game since October, and Exeter's side includes Newcastle-bound duo Rusi Tuima and Will Rigg. Exeter second-row Dafydd Jenkins gets the weekend off after playing all but four minutes for Wales across the Six Nations.
There are two changes to the Gloucester XV as they take to Villa Park for their Slater Cup clash with Leicester Tigers. Wales Under-20 captain Deian Gwynne slots into the Gloucester back row, and Caolan Englefield starts for Gloucester ahead of the injured Tomos Williams. Scrum-half Rhys Price takes Tomos Williams' place on the Gloucester bench, and Seb Blake returns from injury to the Gloucester bench. England scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet is promoted to the Leicester Tigers starting line-up after coming off the bench in the win against Bristol Bears a week earlier. Tom Whiteley drops to the Leicester Tigers bench, and the fit-again pair of Adam Radwan and Harry Wells join the Leicester Tigers bench.
For France, Bordeaux-Bègles players Matthieu Jalibert, Yoram Moefana, and Nicolas Depoortere, absent from the last Six Nations match due to injury, are expected to regain their starting positions in the XV to face Scotland on Saturday. After the inaugural victory, Yoram Moefana's left knee and Nicolas Depoortere's right calf forced them to withdraw. Another return compared to the match against Italy, fly-half Matthieu Jalibert trained normally and regains the number 10 jersey he wore in the first two matches. Several key elements, absent during previous outings, are in a position to regain their starting places, with Nicolas Depoortere and Yoram Moefana, the Bordeaux-Bègles center partnership, having fully participated in preparation and expected in the starting lineup to reform their association at center.
Their return would logically lead to Pierre-Louis Barassi dropping to the bench, while Fabien Brau-Boirie and Emilien Gailleton would not be part of the group. At fly-half, Matthieu Jalibert, recovered, is tipped to retake the reins of the attack alongside Antoine Dupont, and this redistribution would see Thomas Ramos return to his fullback position. The front row of Gros-Marchand-Aldegheri will also start for a fourth consecutive time, with the scrum expected to be made up of Jean-Baptiste Gros, Julien Marchand, and Dorian Aldegheri. Against Scotland, Fabien Galthié is expected to reintegrate several key players returning from injury, while facing a final doubt in the back row before the official team announcement.
In the back row, François Cros and Oscar Jegou seem well placed, but a doubt persists concerning Anthony Jelonch, troubled by a calf issue. Toulouse's Anthony Jelonch, long uncertain and rested this week, is finally fit and will start in the back row, according to some reports. Oscar Jegou and François Cros will accompany Jelonch in the back row, with Cros starting for a fourth consecutive time, but Jelonch's possible absence would open the way for a start for Lenny Nouchi, with Temo Matiu then completing the group from the bench. Montpellier's Lenni Nouchi remains on the bench in this scenario, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the back row selection.
Contradictions exist regarding the French second row pairing against Scotland. In the second row, Charles Ollivon stands out with the number 4 jersey and will be paired with Lyon's Mickaël Guillard, according to some sources. However, other reports indicate the second row could see a reshuffle with the pairing of Emmanuel Meafou and Charles Ollivon, relegating Thibaud Flament and Mickaël Guillard to an impact role during the match. This disagreement affects the predicted starting lineup for a key Six Nations match, with different sources reporting conflicting second row partnerships, leaving readers uncertain about France's tactical setup until the official confirmation.
At the back, the French coach will revert to the formula successfully implemented against Ireland at the start of the Six Nations (36-14). On the wings, the pair Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Théo Attissogbe is announced to continue the adventure, ensuring consistency in the backline. With a bonus-point win, France are assured of winning the Six Nations after only four rounds, and even a simple victory would put France in an ideal configuration, with at worst a five-point lead over Ireland and a significantly favorable points difference.
The exact nature and severity of Anthony Jelonch's calf issue remains unclear, impacting France's back row strategy. The official, confirmed starting lineup for the French rugby team against Scotland has been announced, but uncertainties persist regarding specific positions due to conflicting reports. Whether France will secure a bonus-point victory against Scotland to win the Six Nations after four rounds depends on the match outcome, which is yet to be determined. Kickoff times and broadcast details for the Premiership games mentioned have not been specified in the available claims, and the outcomes of the Gloucester vs. Leicester and other Premiership matches are unknown as they have not yet been played.