Scrum half and captain of the Blues Antoine Dupont, who has not played since December 11, was summoned by coach Fabien Galthié to the group of 42 players announced on Tuesday to prepare for the Six Nations Tournament. The Toulousain appears alongside seven players without selection but not Bordeaux-Bègles opener Matthieu Jalibert, absent for two weeks due to a thigh injury, in the list to prepare for the match against Italy, the February 6, at the Stade de France.
The France group retains the framework of the last autumn tour (three victories in November against Argentina, Georgia and New Zealand), with in particular its sure values: the hooker Julien Marchand (26 years old, 16 selections) , pillar Cyril Baille (28, 31 caps), third lines Grégory Alldritt (24, 26 caps) and Cameron Woki (23, 11 caps), center Gaël Fickou (27, 66 caps), wingers Damian Penaud (25 years old, 28 selections) and Gabin Villière (26 years old, 9 selections) or the backs Melvyn Jaminet (22 years old, 6 selections) and Brice Dulin (31 years old, 36 selections)… Just like the 100% Stadium hinge Toulouse, formed by Romain Ntamack (22 years old, 23 caps) and Antoine Dupont (25 years old, 35 caps), who shone in the victory against the All Blacks in November (40-25).
First call for Bibi Biziwu, Tanga, Favre and Berdeu
Among the 7 players without any selection, three had already been called up by Fabien Galthié and his staff to prepare for the last autumn tour (Clermontois Tani Vili, Castrais Florent Vanverberghe and Montpellier Florian Verhaeghe), but without being selected to play . The four newcomers who will discover the Blues during an internship in Aubagne from January 23 are the Clermont pillar Daniel Bibi Biziwu (20 years old), the third line of Racing 92 Yoan Tanga (25 years old), the three-quarters of La Rochelle Jules Favre (22) and Lyon fly-half Léo Berdeu (23).
Return of Teddy Thomas
Racing winger Teddy Thomas, out through injury, is making his comeback after missing autumn testing through injury. Donovan Taofifenua, his teammate at Ciel et Blanc, pays the price and disappears from the list. Among the absentees, the hooker of La Rochelle Pierre Bourgarit. The Castres player Gaëtan Barlot was preferred to him as 3rd hooker behind the Toulousains Marchand and Mauvaka.
Antoine Dupont, recently named the best player in the world, will retain the captaincy despite the uncertainties surrounding his state of health since the Toulonnais Charles Ollivon is still injured. Absent from the field since the first half of December, discreet on his social networks, announced “tired” on January 1 then “injured” according to his coach in Toulouse Ugo Mola, Dupont returned to the training grounds on Monday.
After a preparation course in the south-east of France, with the foreign legion, the XV of France will face Italy on February 6 at the Stade de France at the opening of the Six Nations Tournament which it has not won since. 2010.
The 42 players selected
BEFORE
Grégory Alldritt (La Rochelle, 24, 26 caps), Uini Atonio (La Rochelle, 31, 39 caps), Cyril Baille (Toulouse, 28, 31 caps), Demba Bamba (Lyon, 23, 20 caps) .), Gaëtan Barlot (Castres, 24, 4 sel.), Daniel Bibi Biziwu (Clermont, 20, 0 sel.), Dylan Cretin (Lyon, 24, 11 sel.), François Cros (Toulouse, 27 , 11 caps), Ibrahim Diallo (Racing 92, 23, 1 cap), Thibaud Flament (Toulouse, 24, 3 caps), Jean-Baptiste Gros (Toulon, 22, 14 caps), Anthony Jelonch (Toulouse, 25, 14 caps), Bernard Le Roux (Racing 92, 32, 47 caps), Sekou Macalou (Stade français, 26, 6 caps), Julien Marchand (Toulouse, 26, 16 caps) .), Peato Mauvaka (Toulouse, 24, 9 caps), Yoan Tanga (Racing 92, 25, 0 caps), Romain Taofifenua (Lyon, 31, 29 caps), Florent Vanverberghe (Castres, 21 , 0 caps), Florian Verhaeghe (Montpellier, 24, 0 caps), Paul Willemse (Montpellier, 29, 19 caps), Cameron Woki (Bordeaux-Bègles, 22, 11 caps)
BACKGROUND
Léo Berdeu (Lyon, 23, 0 caps), Baptiste Couilloud (Lyon, 24, 6 caps), Jonathan Danty (La Rochelle, 29, 11 caps), Brice Dulin (La Rochelle, 31, 36 sel.), Antoine Dupont (Toulouse, 26, 35 sel.), Jules Favre (La Rochelle, 22, 0 sel.), Gaël Fickou (Racing 92, 27, 66 sel.), Antoine Hastoy (Pau, 24, 1 cap), Melvyn Jaminet (Perpignan, 22, 6 cap), Matthis Lebel (Toulouse, 22, 1 cap), Maxime Lucu (Bordeaux-Bègles, 28, 2 cap), Yoram Moefana (Bordeaux-Bègles, 21, 2 sel.), Romain Ntamack (Toulouse, 22, 23 sel.), Damian Penaud (Clermont, 25, 28 sel.), Thomas Ramos (Toulouse, 26, 14 sel. .), Teddy Thomas (Racing 92, 28, 28 caps), Virimi Vakatawa (Racing 92, 29, 30 caps), Tani Vili (Clermont, 20, 0 caps), Gabin Villière (Toulon, 26 years, 9 sel.)