And one more package! Clearly, the preparation for this first match of the Six Nations Tournament against Ireland, Friday evening in Marseille, will have been marked by numerous defections within the French XV. The latest concerns Lyon second row Romain Taofifenua (33 years old, 49 caps), suffering since Wednesday, indicated the French Rugby Federation.
“As a result, Fabien Galthié spoke with Franck Azéma (manager of Perpignan), they decided to integrate Posolo Tuilagi into the France group (made up of 28 players), a decision that became effective yesterday evening (Wednesday evening) in Marseille », Indicates the FFR press release, which specifies that the final composition of the match sheet will be decided this Friday.
Probable presence on the bench, first selection in sight
Posolo Tuilagi (19 years old) is under-20 world champion. The Perpignan player was one of the six players released to their club in the middle of the week under the FFR-LNR agreement and he therefore returns to the 28 players selected to prepare for the match. Will he join the group of 23 names on the match sheet? This is likely because there is no other second line available and he presents a powerful player profile (1.92 m for 145 kg), identical to that of Taofifenua. If he were to enter during the match, the son of former Samoan USAP player Henry Tuilagi would celebrate his first selection.
This first match of the 2024 Tournament is already taking on the air of an early final between the two best European nations in recent years. But coach Fabien Galthié must approach it without several major players, including Antoine Dupont, who is dedicated to preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics with the French rugby sevens team, Romain Ntamack, convalescent, or Anthony Jelonch, injured on one knee.
