France have suffered a blow after it was confirmed that Australian lock Emmanuel Meafou is not eligible to play for Les Bleus at the Rugby World Cup.
The powerful second-row was being lined up as a French international ahead of their home tournament later this year, but those hopes are now dashed.
According to World Rugby, the Toulouse lock will not be eligible to represent France before the end of 2023 so therefore cannot play at the World Cup.
Ineligible for Rugby World Cup
The French Rugby Federation had requested for Meafou to be given clearance to play for the country but he is only eligible from next year’s Six Nations.
Meafou was born in New Zealand to Samoan parents and signed for Top 14 side Toulouse in December 2018. He falls short on the five-year residency rule.
France hadn’t included the hulking second-row in their 42-man squad in preparation for the Rugby World Cup, but were hopeful they could add him later.
However, that’s now not possible as the 145kg forward misses out on the global tournament and will instead focus on club duties until given the green light.
Had the lock been given permission to play for France, it was possible injury would have hindered his chances of making the final squad for the tournament.
Meafou struggling with injury
Meafou suffered an injury during his club’s dramatic Top 14 final victory over La Rochelle last weekend, which is likely to rule him out for up to two months.
One of the tournament favourites, France will play four World Cup warm-up games which begin with a game against Scotland in Edinburgh on August 5.
Head coach Fabien Galthie will then cut his squad down to 33 players on August 21 before the focus turns to the World Cup opener against New Zealand.
READ MORE: All the training squads announced so far ahead of the Rugby World Cup
The article France dealt Emmanuel Meafou setback as Rugby World Cup hopes dashed appeared first on Planetrugby.com.
Article courtesy of
Source link
