France head coach Fabien Galthié named a 42-man training squad on Thursday as preparations for their home Rugby World Cup tournament moves up a gear.
France boasts a highly competitive 14-team domestic competition in the Top 14 and a solid second division in the Pro D2, making Galthié’s job of narrowing down his list to just 42 players incredibly difficult.
Planet Rugby dives into the squad and picks out the winners and losers from the coach’s decisions.
Winners
Veterans return
Since taking over as head coach after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Galthié has given several players the opportunity to stake their claim for a place in the tournament’s squad.
This has led to a lot of chopping and changing over the past four years and some players being excluded for long periods. However, two players who have forced their way back into contention are scrum-half Baptiste Serin and full-back Brice Dulin.
The experienced pair had standout seasons for Toulon and La Rochelle, respectively, earning recalls to the squad for the first time since the 2021 Six Nations.
Serin returns to the squad, where he will contend with captain Antoine Dupont, Maxime Lucu and Baptiste Couilloud in a hotly contested position. Renowned for his game management and ability to spark something out of nothing, Serin also has versatility on his side, as he can play fly-half and is an accurate place-kicker.
As for Dulin, he returns with a point to prove after he failed to kick the ball out in the dying embers of the 2021 Six Nations that would have sealed the title for France. Solid under the high ball and a lethal attacker when he is in space, Dulin’s biggest attribute is his booming left boot.
U20 stars duo
Galthié has not been shy to select young players in his squads over the past four years, and he is not stopping that trend in a World Cup year.
He has selected a pair of rising stars who are still eligible to feature in the World Rugby U20s Championship this year in Emilien Gailleton (19) and Louis Bielle-Biarrey (20). Both players were part of France’s Six Nations squad earlier this year but failed to make their Test debuts.
Pau centre Gailleton enjoyed a remarkable debut professional season, finishing the Top 14 as the competition’s top try scorer. The prolific talent scored 14 times in his 24 league matches, starting 18 of those, and ranked in the top three for line breaks (12), tackles made (124) and attacking ruck hits (140) among centres in the league.
14 – @SectionPaloise’s Emilien Gailleton was the top try scorer in the 2022/23 @top14rugby season (14) – Gailleton also ranks in the top three for line breaks (12), tackles made (124) and attacking ruck hits (140) among centres in the league over the past season. Bolter. https://t.co/squ1p4hSj4 pic.twitter.com/npHHGtGWpC
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) June 21, 2023
Elusive outside back Bielle-Biarrey had a similarly brilliant season for Bordeaux, although he wasn’t nearly as profitable on the scoreboard. He scored five Top 14 tries for the side but cemented his place in the starting XV, featuring 21 times for the team, including 19 starts. The rapid youngster provides competition on the wing and at full-back for the French coaching staff.
🇫🇷 Émilien Gailleton – 19 ans
🇫🇷 Louis Bielle-Biarrey – 20 ansLa jeunesse dorée de @FranceRugby ✨ #SixNations | #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/zeUEwusRbM
— Six Nations (FR) (@SixNations_FR) June 21, 2023
Returning stars
The fact that Arthur Vincent has earned a call-up despite playing just two matches for Montpellier this season speaks volumes about how highly Galthié rates the 23-year-old.
Vincent has not played for France in over a year due to his struggles with injuries, but if fit, you can bet that he will crack the final squad with rugby IQ, attacking and defensive brilliance and his ability to comfortably player both centre positions and wing, making him a crucial asset.
Another star who missed the 2023 Six Nations success and is returning to full fitness just in time is winger Gabin Villière. The Toulon speedster was a regular starter for France in 2021 and 2022 but has struggled with a string of injuries since. An undeniable talent, Villière does have some stiff competition for his jersey upon his return.
Uncapped forwards: Thomas Laclayat and Paul Boudehent
Galthié named four uncapped players in his squad, and having already touched on the two backs, it’s time to dive into the pack.
The France boss has dug into the Pro D2 once again and selected Oyonnax’s Thomas Laclayat, who helped his side secure promotion to the Top 14 next season. The front-rower has been making waves in the Pro D2 for some time now, and it’s not the first time he has been called into the France squad. His form caught the attention of Racing 92, who he will join ahead of next season.
The other uncapped forward in the squad is the excellent Paul Boudehent, who worked tirelessly for La Rochelle this season, winning the Champions Cup title and reaching the final of the Top 14. The 23-year-old played in all three back-row positions for Ronan O’Gara’s side this campaign, and while the competition in the back-row is stiff, he is an intriguing bolter for the final squad, especially with Anthony Jelonch sidelined.
Losers
Fly-half riches
The quality of fly-halves left out of the French squad will make many teams blush, with Romain Ntamack, Matthieu Jalibert and Antoine Hastoy managing to beat out the competition to secure their spots.
The evergreen veteran Camille Lopez misses out on selection, and while that is hardly shocking considering he has not earned a cap since the 2019 World Cup, he was certainly pressing for recall. His move from Clermont to Bayonne has sparked an incredible uptick in form, finishing as one of the most accurate place-kickers in the Top 14 this season with a 92 per cent success rate.
Montpellier’s Louis Carbonel also misses out, having seemingly slipped down the pecking order, as has Enzo Herve after Brive’s relegation.
Losing ground
The pair of fly-halves aren’t the only ones who have dropped down Les Bleus’ pecking order, with Anthony Bouthier (full-back), Pierre-Louis Barassi (centre), Matthis Lebel (wing), Alexandre Becognee (back-row), Dany Priso (prop), Nolann Le Garrec and Leo Coly (both scrum-halves) all losing ground on the competition.
This just further highlights France’s incredible depth, with several talents outside of those as mentioned above also sticking their hand up for selection.
Barassi, Priso and Le Garrec are arguably the biggest omissions but the trio do play in hotly contested positions.
Injured stars
And then there are the players whose dream of playing in a home World Cup could be ended through injury.
Jelonch and Sipili Falatea are two members of this season’s Six Nations squad that could be backed if they can prove their fitness before the World Cup, but time is starting to run out for the pair.
Meanwhile, fringe players like Yacouba Camara, Leo Berdue, Gaetan Barlot and Killian Geraci may have already missed their chance.
Emmanuel Meafou
Manny Meafou flattens Botia. #FinaleTOP14 #STSR pic.twitter.com/bj7iOpRWBN
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) June 17, 2023
Lastly, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that World Rugby will approve France permission to select Toulouse lock Emmanuel Meafou this year.
Under current regulations, he only qualifies for France next year, but the FFR are hopeful they can get the New Zealand-born’s eligibility date brought forward much like the All Blacks did with scrum-half Folau Fakatava.
The injury he suffered in the Top 14 final could see him sidelined for two months, which only makes matters worse for the powerhouse lock.
READ MORE: Veteran duo recalled to France squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup
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