A long-awaited list. And scrutinized closely. Fabien Galthié revealed, this Wednesday via a simple press release, his first list of 42 players for the second part of the Nations Championship and he had to deal with an impressive cascade of injuries. “Sometimes I feel like I’m making a French team of survivors,” he lamented in September. The toll is heavy. Matthieu Jalibert, the UBB fly-half (successfully tried at the back last summer), was hit in a thigh and suffered a relapse, he will miss all of the November matches.
Major damage to Stade Toulousain, the leading “supplier” of international players. Fullback Thomas Ramos, best director in the history of the French XV, is on his side, hit in the thigh. Added to this is center Pierre-Louis Barassi (ankle). In the pack, the second lines Emmanuel Meafou and Thibaud Flament, as well as their teammate and hooker Julien Marchand, are also out.
And the list grew further yesterday, with the withdrawals of third row Lenni Nouchi (hamstring, Montpellier) - who should miss the first two matches - and pillar Demba Bamba (thigh, Racing 92). More than worrying less than a year before the next World Cup in Australia (October 1-November 13). On the other hand, scrum half Nolann Le Garrec, recovered from a knee injury, is very present. Opener Antoine Hastoy (La Rochelle), who played in the 2023 World Cup, is one of the openers selected.
The surprise of this list came from the call-up of South African center Jeremy Ward, 30 years old. The Stade Français Paris player, former Baby Bok (South African U20), is not yet eligible for the French XV, he will be for the next World Cup. The center arriving in France in 2022 will only be a training partner in Marcoussis. A choice that will be controversial. Nicolas Depoortere, absent from this list, paid the price for his arrival. But, above all, the French tank is well stocked at the center position. The explanations of Fabien Galthié - who did not comment on his list - will be eagerly awaited.
Among the other small neophytes, we find the center Tani Vili (25 years old, Stade Français) - who had participated, without playing, in the 2021 and 2022 summer tours of the Blues - and the young pillar Karl Sorin (23 years old, La Rochelle) to compensate for the absences of Régis Montagne (Clermont), injured in the calf, and Demba Bamba.
As for the veterans, third row Anthony Jelonch, after more than six months of absence, and left pillar Cyril Baille, whose last selection dates back to the 2025 Tournament (victory against Scotland), were not called up. Just as the second row Romain Taofifenua (Racing 92) - who came out of his international retirement which he had announced after the 2023 World Cup - was recalled, his last elections date back to the fall of 2025. The left pillar Jefferson Poirot (UBB), who also announced his international retirement (in 2019) before returning to blue last summer, was however summoned again.
The current cascade of injuries, however, has opened the door to new faces, who revealed themselves during the last Six Nations (Fabien Brau-Boirie, Pau) and then during the summer tour: Marko Gazzotti (UBB) and Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang (Pau). A welcome breath of fresh air. With Ramos' package, Attissogbe should slide to the back and free up a place on a wing for Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang (Pau) or Théo Forner (Perpignan), called up this summer but not yet capped. The fly-half Axel Desperès (Pau) and the versatile three-quarterback Mathis Ferté (Toulon) will join Marcoussis.
These two players were crowned Olympic champions with the French 7s team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and one of their great strengths is efficiency under high balls, a sector that is now crucial in modern rugby. Montpellier second-row Florian Verhaeghe, decisive with Montpellier and called up for the summer matches, is also in this list of 42 players.
Duc change, too, concerning “banned” from 2026. Grégory Alldritt, whose last selection dates back to November 2025 against Australia, will make his return to Marcoussis. The powerful number 8, who has regained his percussion strength, was sidelined during the last Tournament and had missed the summer tour due to a calf injury. Damian Penaud, top scorer in the history of the French XV, is also returning to blue. On the other hand, Gaël Fickou remains at the dock. Less than a year before the World Cup in Australia, this is a strong sign. The train could have left without him.
The puzzle is not over for Fabien Galthié and his deputies. The staff will now have to juggle with the new measures intended to limit the workload of internationals. A new rule to respond to an overloaded schedule has in fact been introduced between the LNR and the FFR. On the one hand, clubs must give their players two weeks of rest every eight weeks of competition and, at the same time, the French staff will only be able to field a player in 9 matches out of a maximum of 13 during the international season.
“We are not machines either,” recalled Blues captain Antoine Dupont recently, deploring the infernal pace imposed on internationals. Before the gathering in Marcoussis, a day of Top 14 must be played. And cause new injuries?
The group of 42 players:
Forwards: Grégory Alldritt (Stade Rochelais), Hugo Auradou (Section Paloise), Paul Boudehent (Stade Rochelais), Joshua Brennan (Stade Toulousain), Esteban Capilla (Aviron Bayonnais), Guillaume Cramont (Aviron Bayonnais), François Cros (Stade Toulousain), Tyler Duguid (Montpellier HR), Sipili Falatea (Union Bordeaux Bègles), Alexandre Fischer (Aviron Bayonnais), Marko Gazzotti (Union Bordeaux Bègles), Jean-Baptiste Gros (RC Toulon), Mickaël Guillard (LOU Rugby), Oscar Jegou (Stade Rochelais), Maxime Lamothe (Union Bordeaux Bègles), Peato Mauvaka (Stade Toulousain), Charles Ollivon (RC Toulon), Jefferson Poirot (Union Bordeaux Bègles), Karl Sorin (Stade Rochelais), Thomas Staniforth (Castres Olympique), Tevita Tatafu (Aviron Bayonnais), Reda Wardi (Stade Rochelais), Cameron Woki (Union Bordeaux Bègles).
