The staff of the XV of France communicated this Sunday the list of 31 players selected for the first two matches of the Six Nations Tournament, against Italy (February 6) and Ireland (February 14).
Or even more since, except for injury (s), this group reduced to 31 units to avoid going back and forth with the clubs and the risks of contamination with Covid-19 is now closed.
The Blues staff have selected 31 players for the 2021 @SixNationsRugby Tournament!
First match next Saturday at 3:15
p.m.
against Italy
Go the Blues # XvdeFrance # NeFaisonsXV
- France Rugby (@FranceRugby) January 31, 2021
Bad news to begin with, Racing 92 hooker Camille Chat (30 caps) was forced to forfeit (the reason was not specified).
Just like the Thierry Paiva pillar from La Rochelle.
A more "diplomatic" package that allows Toulonnais Jean-Baptiste Gros, present in the initial list, to return to the group of 31. To replace Chat, the coach has summoned the Toulouse hooker Peato Mauvaka (who makes up the trio alongside Julien Marchand and Pierre Bourgarit).
Note that the pillar of Racing, Georges-Henri Colombe, is the only player on this list not to count any selection
Lyonnais Géraci and Couilloud recalled
To complete the group, reduced Thursday to 28 units, three players were summoned.
Two Lyonnais return, the second row Killian Géraci and the scrum half Baptiste Couilloud.
And, as expected, the number 8 of La Rochelle, Grégory Alldritt, now an essential part of the Blues, is recalled after having to withdraw last week to undergo a knee arthroscanner.
Of the eight players released last Thursday, six have not been recalled.
The third-row Toulouse wing François Cros, who still feels pain in his fractured foot at the beginning of November, the rear of Montpellier Vincent Rattez - the two main failures, but also the pillar of Racing Hassane Kolingar, Toulouse number 8 Selevasio Tolofua, Racing winger Donovan Taofifenua and Parisian center Julien Delbouis.
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The latter downgrades in the hierarchy of the position.
Called in the first list, he was finally overtaken by the Lyonnais Pierre-Louis Barassi, called in a second time to compensate for the withdrawal of Virimi Vakatawa.
The center of Racing is one of the few absent due to injuries with the opener Romain Ntamack, the mainstay of LOU Demba Bamba or the Toulouse rear Thomas Ramos.
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