SYLVAIN MARCONNET HAS been dropped from the France squad for the upcoming World Cup in New Zealand, with Thomas Domingo also left out of Marc Lievremont’s travelling party.
The omission of veteran Marconnet is something of a surprise – Fabien Barcella had been expected to drop out due to a lack of match practice – but Lievremont has decided that the 35-year-old prop is surplus to requirements.
This the second World Cup in a row that Marconnet has missed. He was not present at the 2007 tournament in his home country as he had broken his leg skiing.
“It was a very difficult choice,” the BBC reports Lievremont as saying.
“I have always said the best two props in France were Thomas [Domingo] and Fabien [Barcella]. I said I hoped to keep one and that is the decision I have made.
“Sylvain asked me not to announce it to the group in his presence,” Lievremont added.
France’s World Cup squad:
Forwards: Fabien Barcella, Julien Bonnaire, Luc Ducalcon, Thierry Dusautoir (captain), Imanol Harinordoquy, Guilhem Guirado, Nicolas Mas, Romain Millo-Chluski, Raphael Lakafia, Lionel Nallet, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Pascal Pape, Louis Picamoles, Julien Pierre, Jean-Baptiste Poux, William Servat, Dimitri Szarzewski.
Backs: Vincent Clerc, Patrice Estebanez, Cedric Heymans, David Marty, Maxime Medard, Maxime Mermoz, Alexis Palisson, Morgan Parra, Aurelien Rougerie, David Skrela, Damien Traille, Francois Trinh-Duc, Dimitri Yachvili.
