By Le Figaro with AFP
Published 20 minutes ago, Updated now
Twenty-two of the thirty-four players called by Fabien Galthié for the Six Nations Tournament participated in the 2023 World Cup in France. Paul Delort / Le Figaro
DECRYPTION – Fabien Galthié and his staff have unveiled the list of 34 players selected to start the Six Nations Tournament on February 2.
The list of 34 players called up by the French XV for the Six Nations Tournament (February 2-March 16) in figures:
22. Twenty-two of the thirty-four players called by Fabien Galthié for the Six Nations Tournament participated in the 2023 World Cup in France. Among them, La Rochelle third row Grégory Alldritt, who takes the captain’s armband from Antoine Dupont, is there as is Toulouse full-back Thomas Ramos, Bordeaux fly-half Maxime Lucu and Racing 92 center Gaël Fickou, player the most capped on this list with 85 selections.
11. Conversely, eleven of the 33 players who participated in the World Cup do not appear: the hooker Pierre Bourgarit, the pillars Sipili Falatea and Jean-Baptiste Gros, the second row Thibaud Flament (injured), the half-backs scrum Antoine Dupont (rugby 7s) and Baptiste Couilloud, second row Bastien Chalureau, third row Sekou Macalou, fly-half Antoine Hastoy, winger Gabin Villière and center Arthur Vincent (coach’s choice).
6. Six players do not have any selection with the XV of France: the second lines of Toulouse Emmanuel Meafou and Toulon Matthias Halagahu, the third line of the Var team Esteban Abadie, the center of Bordeaux-Bègles Nicolas Depoortère and the hinge of Racing 92, made up of scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec and fly-half Antoine Gibert.
Toulouse and UBB stripped
9. The reigning French champion Toulouse has nine players called up in Blue for the Six Nations Tournament (Aldegheri, Baille, Marchand, Mauvaka, Meafou, Cros, Jelonch, Lebel, Ramos). This is more than the six from Bordeaux and the five from Rochelais and Racingmen. Toulon places four players. Followed by Lyon (2), Castres (1), Pau (1) and Stade Français (1). In total, 9 Top 14 clubs are represented in this list.
8. Eight of the thirty-four players called by Fabien Galthié are 30 years old or over: the first lines Dorian Aldegheri (30), Uini Atonio (33), and Sébastien Taofifenua (31), the second lines Paul Gabrillagues (30) and Romain Taofifenua ( 33), third row Charles Ollivon (30), flyhalf Maxime Lucu (31) and center Jonathan Danty (31). That’s thirty years more than at the 2023 World Cup. It remains to be seen if they can last four years, until the 2027 World Cup in Australia…
1. Only one U20 crowned world champion in June 2023 was called by Fabien Galthié: UBB center Nicolas Depoortère. If their names had circulated, the Toulouse Paul Costes, the Rochelais Hugo Reus, the Bordelais Marko Gazzotti and the Perpignan Posolo Tuilagi ultimately did not join the first group of Fabien Galthié’s second term. In reserve of the Republic?
1550. One thousand five hundred and fifty days, or more than four years, have passed since the last selection in Blue of second row Paul Gabrillagues, against Wales during the quarter-final of the 2019 World Cup in Japan. At 30, the Stade Français captain makes his return to the French team, being called up for the first time since the start of Fabien Galthié’s mandate.
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