French rugby 2019/20

[BFG]

New French coach Fabien Galthié has announced his initial squad of 42 players for the 6N.
Notable absentees are Camille Lopez, Yoann Huget and Maxime Médard, and significant inclusions are members of the Under 20 World Cup winning team, like flyhalf Carbonel who may well be preferred to Ntamack who is equally happy at centre.

France Six Nations squad
Forwards:

Dorian Aldegheri (Toulouse), Cyril Baille (Toulouse), Demba Bamba (Lyon), Camille Chat (Racing 92), Anthony Etrillard (Toulon), Jean-Baptiste Gros (Toulon), Mohamed Haouas (Montpellier), Julien Marchand (Toulouse), Jefferson Poirot (Bordeaux-Begles), Cyril Cazeaux (Bordeaux-Begles), Killian Geraci (Lyon), Bernard Le Roux (Racing 92), Boris Palu (Racing 92), Romain Taofifenua (Toulon), Paul Willemse (Montpellier), Gregory Alldritt (La Rochelle), Charles Ollivon (Toulon), Dylan Cretin (Lyon), Francois Cros (Toulouse), Alexandre Fischer (Clermont), Sekou Macalou (Stade Francais), Selevasio Tolofua (Toulouse), Cameron Woki (Bordeaux-Begles)

Backs:

Antoine Dupont (Toulouse), Baptiste Serin (Toulon), Maxime Lucu (Bordeaux-Begles), Romain Ntamack (Toulouse), Louis Carbonel (Toulouse), Mathieu Jalibert (Bordeaux-Begles), Gael Fickou (Stade Francais), Virimi Vakatawa (Racing 92), Arthur Vincent (Montpellier), Julien Heriteau (Toulon), Gervais Cordin (Toulon), Lester Etien (Stade Francais), Gabriel Ngandebe (Montpellier), Damian Penaud (Clermont), Vincent Rattez (La Rochelle), Teddy Thomas (Racing 92), Anthony Bouthier (Montpellier), Kylian Hamdaoui (Stade Francais), Thomas Ramos (Toulouse)

The squad will be reduced to 28 before the opening match against England on February 2nd.
There is some real talent in this squad and I firmly believe that France will be in with chance of winning the title particularly as they have three home games and are away to Wales and Scotland.

Edit: and a new captain in Toulon's Charles Ollivon.

Good squad!
Will it and the coaches be given time?
Do you think that the project building to 2023 will need time?

[Robespierre]

New French coach Fabien Galthié has announced his initial squad of 42 players for the 6N.
Notable absentees are Camille Lopez, Yoann Huget and Maxime Médard, and significant inclusions are members of the Under 20 World Cup winning team, like flyhalf Carbonel who may well be preferred to Ntamack who is equally happy at centre.

France Six Nations squad
Forwards:

Dorian Aldegheri (Toulouse), Cyril Baille (Toulouse), Demba Bamba (Lyon), Camille Chat (Racing 92), Anthony Etrillard (Toulon), Jean-Baptiste Gros (Toulon), Mohamed Haouas (Montpellier), Julien Marchand (Toulouse), Jefferson Poirot (Bordeaux-Begles), Cyril Cazeaux (Bordeaux-Begles), Killian Geraci (Lyon), Bernard Le Roux (Racing 92), Boris Palu (Racing 92), Romain Taofifenua (Toulon), Paul Willemse (Montpellier), Gregory Alldritt (La Rochelle), Charles Ollivon (Toulon), Dylan Cretin (Lyon), Francois Cros (Toulouse), Alexandre Fischer (Clermont), Sekou Macalou (Stade Francais), Selevasio Tolofua (Toulouse), Cameron Woki (Bordeaux-Begles)

Backs:

Antoine Dupont (Toulouse), Baptiste Serin (Toulon), Maxime Lucu (Bordeaux-Begles), Romain Ntamack (Toulouse), Louis Carbonel (Toulouse), Mathieu Jalibert (Bordeaux-Begles), Gael Fickou (Stade Francais), Virimi Vakatawa (Racing 92), Arthur Vincent (Montpellier), Julien Heriteau (Toulon), Gervais Cordin (Toulon), Lester Etien (Stade Francais), Gabriel Ngandebe (Montpellier), Damian Penaud (Clermont), Vincent Rattez (La Rochelle), Teddy Thomas (Racing 92), Anthony Bouthier (Montpellier), Kylian Hamdaoui (Stade Francais), Thomas Ramos (Toulouse)

The squad will be reduced to 28 before the opening match against England on February 2nd.
There is some real talent in this squad and I firmly believe that France will be in with chance of winning the title particularly as they have three home games and are away to Wales and Scotland.

Edit: and a new captain in Toulon's Charles Ollivon.

Good squad!
Will it and the coaches be given time?
Do you think that the project building to 2023 will need time?

First question - No! French rugby supporters are impatient and will expect a Grand Slam!! I think they could do well in the 6N but the Slam is maybe a tad optimistic. However, if the nucleus of this young squad stays together over the next two or three seasons then they should be serious contenders for their World Cup.

[Robespierre]

Did any of you see the superb Racing v Munster match yesterday?
take a look at this excellent Racing try, and the amazing pass by scrum half Iribaren (who isn't even in the 6N French squad!

https://www.rugbyrama.fr/rugby/champion ... tory.shtml

[JP14]

Probably the best out of the back door pass I have seen since that Leyds stunner in 2017! Munster are also all but out of the comp which won’t bode well in Thomond.

[Robespierre]

Munster are also all but out of the comp which won’t bode well in Thomond.

Oh dear, what a shame, never mind!!

[JP14]

Munster are also all but out of the comp which won’t bode well in Thomond.

Oh dear, what a shame, never mind!!

You think I care? Not. A. Jot.

[BFG]

Probably the best out of the back door pass I have seen since that Leyds stunner in 2017! Munster are also all but out of the comp which won’t bode well in Thomond.

Just watched the highlights after reading here.
That one out of the back took everyone out, class.
Excellent finish from Thomas getting it down in the corner.
I'm a bit envious of that stadium, it's still on my list of places to go and watch a game of rugby.

[JP14]

Yes it was an excellent finish but it was pretty convenient that the French director couldn’t find a camera angle showing whether he was onside or not for the TMO.

[Robespierre]

Top14 results and table after round 14:

Bayonne 22 - Agen 23
Toulouse 22 - Bordeaux 14
Lyon 25 - Toulon 12
Brive 33 - Pau 26
Castres 0 - Racing 27
La Rochelle 35 - Montpellier 30
Clermont 29 - Stade Français 19

1 Lyon 49
2 Bordeaux 47
3 L Rochelle 37
4 Racing 37
5 Toulon 36
6 Toulouse 34
7 Clermont 32
8 Montpellier 32
9 Brive 29
10 Bayonne 24
11Pau 23
12 Castres 23
13 Agen 22
14 S Français 20

The next round will be on Feb 15/16 and the pick of the fixtures is Bordeaux v Lyon and Racing v Toulouse. SF need to start winning a few games but next up they're home to La Rochelle, which'll be tough!

[ourla]

Big win for Agen, it's looking really tight down there!

[Robespierre]

Big win for Agen, it's looking really tight down there!

Indeed! Agen's next game is at home to fellow strugglers Castres.

Bayonne are in the sticky stuff at the moment (sounds familiar, eh!), and next up is Montpellier away.
Things aren't looking so good for fellow Basque club Biarritz Olympique, currently 6th in ProD2, who could disappear in a month or so due to serious financial difficulties. A decision should be made at an Extraordinary General Meeting on March 3rd to discuss a debt of nearly 3m€.

[Cagey Tiger]

Big win for Agen, it's looking really tight down there!

Indeed! Agen's next game is at home to fellow strugglers Castres.

Bayonne are in the sticky stuff at the moment (sounds familiar, eh!), and next up is Montpellier away.
Things aren't looking so good for fellow Basque club Biarritz Olympique, currently 6th in ProD2, who could disappear in a month or so due to serious financial difficulties. A decision should be made at an Extraordinary General Meeting on March 3rd to discuss a debt of nearly 3m€.

Can they get Nigel Wray to write it off for them? That's about the same as 3 seasons savings on salaries at Sarries now that they are supposedly going to be sticking to the salary cap

[JP14]

Such a shame re Biarritz, 15 years ago one of the big French clubs.

[ourla]

Yeah, shame about Biarritz. Although one assumes it's of their own making?

I guess it's a good thing Castres are struggling and fighting for points.

[Robespierre]

Yeah, shame about Biarritz. Although one assumes it's of their own making?

Weren't they relagated from the Top14 a few years ago again due to financial problems?
Many feel that a merger with Bayonne (only a couple of kms down the road) would have been the sensible option and create one top flight club in the Basque region, but the die-hard supporters of each club would have nothing to do with it thinking that they'd lose their identity. That seems better, however, than ceasing to exist, doesn't it?