Fabien Galthié announced his list of 42 players for the 6 Nations Tournament with feedback and surprises.
The 6 Nations Tournament begins on January 31 with a prime time match between France and Wales from the Stade de France. Before the final list, Fabien Galthié announced Wednesday January 15, the 42 players who will begin preparation for the tournament. Several surprises, expected after a cascade of packages, have been announced.
The first sensation is the return of Oscar Jégou and Hugo Auradou after the affair in Argentina and the dismissal pronounced last December. On a sporting level, the first named has been impeccable since his return with his team from La Rochelle, achieving remarkable performances, in particular by his trainer Ronan O’Gara. “He’s performing well, he’s been through an extremely difficult personal period, but now there’s a lot more sunshine for him.” Hugo Auradou, on the other hand, has been a little more discreet with Pau since the end of the affair. But their return coincides with the wish of the president of the FFR. “If their sporting performances allow it, they will potentially be selected to play again in the French team” launched Florian Grill.
Another return, that of Matthieu Jalibert who had left the XV of France during the autumn tour, barred by the competition. But for Fabien Galthié, there is no controversy. “There was a decision to switch to 6-2 on the bench, with Antoine Dupont covering at fly-half. Matthieu expressed his state of mind, he verbalized his needs. When I asked him if returning to Bordeaux was better for him and for the team, he said yes There is a Matthieu Jalibert story, not a controversy. We need Matthieu Jalibert because the more potential a player has, the more his ambition is. is clear: be a player on the French team until at least 2027.”
The little sensation of the preparation also comes from the three-quarter center of Dax Noah Néné, announced by Sud Radio and confirmed by L’Equipe. A young talent, the player has been on loan to Dax since the start of the season from Stade Français and has benefited from the packages of Jonathan Danty and Gaël Fickou. This season, he played twelve matches, including seven as a starter, and scored 3 tries. RCT player Gaël Dréan is also in the group as announced by Midol, he is the top scorer in the Top 14 with ten tries in nine matches.
Several packages and uncertainties
For this 6 Nations, Fabien Galthié will have to deal with everyone’s physical problems. Charles Ollivon (ruptured cruciate knee ligaments, season ended) and Gaël Fickou (thumb operation, unavailable until the end of February) will not be present, as will Posolo Tuilagi, victim of a tibia-fibula injury at the end of September, or even Demba Bamba ( Racing 92) and Sipili Falatea (UBB), recovering from their injuries. You can add to the list, Reda Wardi (ribs) affected on Sunday in the Champions Cup or even Romain Buros (ankle) and Alexandre Roumat (calf injury).