Called up: Hugo Bonneval
France have called uncapped Stade Français full-back/wing Hugo Bonneval into their Six Nations squad to replace injured veteran Vincent Clerc.
Clerc sustained a thigh injury in Toulouse's win over Biarritz on Friday and is set to be sidelined for eight to ten days, ruling him out of les Bleus' opening fixture against Italy on Sunday February 3.
22-year-old Bonneval is a surprise selection ahead of the likes of Toulon's Alexis Palisson.
Bonneval has only started five games for Stade Français this season, four of which were at full-back. He scored one try against Toulon.
"Hugo is a young player full of talent that has been on our radar," said head coach Philippe Saint André.
"He will join our group after Vincent Clerc's withdrawal and will discover how we work. I hope Vincent recovers quickly and can be competitive as soon as possible."
Clerc is only four tries short of equalling Serge Blanco's national record of 38.
The members of France's 33-man squad began arriving on the outskirts of Paris on Saturday.
Comments
Iyhel says...
@kiwirooster: first, Planté called in for Fickou just means that Fofona will eventually start at centre, which should please you; second, who really believes Bonneval will make it to the matchday squad?
Posted 14:03 28th January 2013
chancer says...
KiwiRooster, I hope you have a hat to eat when Bonneval scores a try! If your opinion on French players is backed up by performance then I expect SA to give you a call very soon??
Posted 07:52 28th January 2013
GoWalesGo says...
@KiwiRooster
"Team with players out of position never won the World Cup"
Strange that you of all people say that when NZ had centres and fullbacks playing on the wing throughout pretty much the whole of the 2011WC campaign...
Posted 05:32 27th January 2013
KiwiRooster says...
Still no Marvin O'Connor WTF.
Philippe Saint-André what is that you are doing? Making your best Bernard Laporte impression (picking Chabal at 7 and Traille at 10 or 15), mate?
Planté a 27 yo winger to replace Fickou at centre (...) really? Hardly a sound choice for any coach keeping RWC 2015 in mind.
Hugo Bonneval a gifted winger+fullback no more no less but who is not a regular first choice for Stade Français and is nowhere as fit as O'Connor who happens to be a regular for his struggling club. To this day O'Connor is the most gifted going forward winger I have been given to witness in the Top 14. He was in the pre-list 3 months ago, so what happened ever since then?
I am afraid I can tell why Bonneval was picked ahead. Bonneval is a "utility player" à la Française. Meaning he can play at winging fullback, for what his club knows he could even play banjo while playing if you ask him to. But is he really World-Class at both positions? For God sake, he is not even a regular choice at his favourite position at Stade Français, so the hell with that utility player BS...
Team with players out of position never won the World Cup. Bernard Laporte had an excuse for making his squad a big utility joke: he had no other choice because we di not have descent props or centers or fullbacks, etc.
This time, Philippe Saint-André has a tremendous crop of specialist players for a very long time in the history of French rugby. Why not make the best of it? It is just beyond me. You cannot win with half-arsed utility tactics, you have to take the "risk" of playing specialists, simply because they are better at it.
Posted 19:42 26th January 2013
Iyhel says...
@paddy: no problem mate, Clerc has six weeks to get fit and back against Ireland ;)
(I can see what you're talking about... that last minute try in Croke Park...)
Posted 19:27 26th January 2013
paddy91317 says...
delighted Clerc is out he has been a torn in Irelands side for nearly a decade.
Posted 16:07 26th January 2013