End of suspense.
Via a simple press release without any justification, Fabien Galthié, the coach of the XV of France, unveiled this Tuesday the group of 42 selected to prepare for the next Six Nations Tournament.
If the staff of the Blues had to deal with certain absences due to injury, several newcomers have been called to Marcoussis, other veterans are returning.
To discover
Calendar and results 6 Nations
Ranking Tournament 6 of Nations
If most of the executives of the France group are present (
Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Grégory Alldritt in
particular…),
Gabin Villière
(Toulon) was not called.
The winger with the red helmet is currently in the recovery phase, after experiencing several physical glitches which have so far ruined his season (fractures of the left hand and fibula).
Another expected return, that of
François Cros
(Toulouse).
The Rouge et Noir flanker was seriously injured in the knee last June and suffered a relapse in September.
The competition promises to be fierce with
Charles Ollivon
(Toulon), back in the foreground in November, and
Anthony Jelonch
, valuable in the fight.
The surprise of this list came from third-line
Paul Boudehent
(La Rochelle).
In the same position, note the return of
Yacouba Camara
(Montpellier), crowned champion of France last summer.
The right pillar
Mohamed Haouas
(Montpellier) returns to the group, after being absent in the fall.
Delbouis rewarded
Slightly injured recently, the other right pillar
Uini Atonio
(La Rochelle, sprained knee) will be able to quickly return to competition, believes the staff who retained him.
On the other hand, scrum half
Maxime Lucu
(UBB, sprained ankle) was not called up.
Just like
Baptiste Couilloud
(Lyon), who recently suffered a whiplash and who is not called up.
The staff trusted the youth with
Léo Coly
(Montpellier) and
Nolann Le Garrec
(Racing 92).
For this Six Nations Tournament, the tricolor staff called on several neophytes.
Thus,
Julien Delbouis
(Stade Français Paris), particularly prominent this season with the second in the Top 14, has been called up.
Called up last November but not yet capped, winger
Ethan Dumortier
(Lyon) and center
Émilien Gailleton
(Pau) will return to Marcoussis.
Another fit man at the start of this exercise, the rear or winger
Louis Bielle-Biarrey
(Bordeaux-Bègles) was called up, at only 19 years old.
Lamothe and Barlot summoned to the heel
Faced with a massacre at the hooker position, with the unavailability of
Peato Mauvaka
(Toulouse, finger) and
Pierre Bourgarit
(La Rochelle, knee), Fabien Galthié and his assistants called on
Gaëtan Barlot
(Castres) and
Teddy Baubigny
(Toulon) to be the understudy of the number 1 of the position,
Julien Marchand
.
On the other hand,
Maxime Lamothe
(Bordeaux-Bègles), approached to join the group, was ultimately not selected.
Already called without having been aligned, the rear
Romain Buros
(UBB) is also selected.
Read alsoXV of France: five things to know about Ethan Dumortier, the promising winger from Lyon summoned in blue
At the post of opening half, behind the essential
Romain Ntamack
and
Matthieu Jalibert
, there was still a place to take.
Logically, it was
Antoine Hastoy
(La Rochelle), author of good performances in his new colors, who was selected rather than
Louis Carbonel
(Montpellier) and the young
Léo Barré
(Stade Français), yet cited by Fabien Galthié as a followed player.
Internship in Capbreton
Among the notable absences,
Cameron Woki
(Racing 92), victim of a broken hand, was not summoned.
Long-term injured, the three-quarter centers
Jonathan Danty
(La Rochelle) and
Arthur Vincent
(Montpellier), two executives of the group, will not be there either.
In the pack, two other players are missing: the second-line
Florian Verhaeghe
(Montpellier, shoulder) and the right pillar
Jean-Baptiste Gros
(Toulon, forearm).
On the return side,
Paul Willemse
(Montpellier), who returned to the field in mid-December after four months of absence, is logically returning to the cage.
Already summoned and selected (two selections each), the second lines
Thomas Jolmes
(UBB) and
Thomas Lavault
(La Rochelle) are part of the group of 42.
The Blues will be reunited at the CNR of Marcoussis from Sunday January 22, before leaving for a ten-day internship in Capbreton (Landes).
The XV of France will begin the defense of its title in the Six Nations Tournament on Sunday February 5 (4 p.m.), with a trip to Italy.
Before, a week later, the shock of this 2023 edition against Ireland, the number 1 nation in the world ranking, at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
A real test for the Blues less than eight months from "their" World Cup.