Attention applied mathematics.
Take a list of 42 selected.
Release 14 of them. And recall 14 four days later.
Will you get the same list?
Well no.
Because the coach surprised everyone by changing a few names.
Three in total, absent from the group, and therefore from training, last week at the CNR.
Fabien Galthié summoned this Sunday to Marcoussis the pillar of Montpellier Mohamed Haouas (who, on the mend, has not played since the beginning of October), his teammate at MHR Alexandre Bécognée, third-row who had honored a first selection in Australia last summer, and Toulon winger Gabin Villière.
The latter had been initially selected, before having to withdraw because of a pain in a thigh.
The mainstay of Castres Wilfrid Hounkpatin unexpectedly failed
Three recalled, that means three failures.
In this case the mainstay of Castres Wilfrid Hounkpatin, the second row of Montpellier Florian Verhaeghe and the back of Toulon Aymeric Luc.
The blow is especially harsh for the first named who, on the strength of these two doubles registered in the league, seemed to have shaken up the hierarchy and won a starting place for the first test against Argentina, on November 6 at the Stade de France.
These returns - in particular those of Haouas and Villière, who benefit from a big rating with the staff - could reshuffle the cards and modify the starting XV glimpsed during training, last week in Marcoussis.
The 14 players called up:
Mohamed Haouas (Montpellier)
Thierry Paiva (Bordeaux-Bègles)
Florent Vanverberghe (Castres)
Kilian Geraci (Lyon)
Bernard Le Roux (Racing 92)
Ibrahim Diallo (Racing 92)
Alexandre Bécognée (Montpellier)
Antoine Hastoy (Pay)
Tani Vili (Clermont)
Gabin Villière (Toulon)
Vincent Rattez (Montpellier)
Donovan Taofifenua (Racing 92)
Romain Buros (Bordeaux)
Brice Dulin (La Rochelle)