FRANCE HAVE GIVEN an early indication as to the side that will face Ireland in the 2015 Six Nations after naming their 30-man squad for next season.
The players head coach Philippe Saint-André has selected in this group will benefit from an “optimised” calendar for the first time, which was agreed upon in the latest convention between the FFR [Fédération Française de Rugby] and LNR [Ligue Nationale de Rugby].
France’s inconsistent performances at international level in recent years have led to concerns that their players are accumulating too much game time for their club sides in the Top 14, with this deal seen as one way of preventing that from 2014/15 onwards.
The 30-man squad, including François Trinh-Duc, will now be given more rest periods, in a move that echoes what the IRFU has been able to do with their leading players in the professional era.
Furthermore, Saint-André should enjoy more face time with his squad ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. There will be a degree of fluidity around Les Bleus’ group, with injuries to be expected at times over the coming seasons.
The return of Trinh-Duc, who has largely been ignored by Saint-André, has made the headlines in France, while Castres centre Rémi Lamerat is one of only three midfielders in the selection.
France 30-man squad for the 2014/15 season:
Backs (12): Maxime Machenaud (Racing Métro), Morgan Parra (Clermont), Frédéric Michalak (Toulon), Rémi Talès (Castres), François Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Mathieu Bastareaud (Toulon), Wesley Fofana (Clermont), Rémi Lamerat (Castres), Maxime Médard (Toulouse), Hugo Bonneval (Stade Français), Brice Dulin (Racing Métro from next season), Yoann Huget (Toulouse).
Forwards (18): Thomas Domingo (Clermont), Vincent Debaty (Clermont), Benjamin Kayser (Clermont), Dimitri Szarzewski (Racing Métro), Nicolas Mas (Montpellier), Rabah Slimani (Stade Français), Alexandre Flanquart (Stade Français), Yoann Maestri (Toulouse), Pascal Papé (Stade Français), Sébastien Vahaamahina (Clermont from next season), Damien Chouly (Clermont), Antonie Claassen (Racing Métro from next season), Louis Picamoles (Toulouse), Antoine Burban (Stade Français), Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse), Bernard Le Roux (Racing Métro), Yannick Nyanga (Toulouse), Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier).
