France squad: Fabien Galthie trims group ahead of All Blacks showdown as update on Top 14 finalists return issued
Fabien Galthie (left) has named a trimmed 33-man group to take on the All Blacks
France head coach Fabien Galthie has named a trimmed 33-man squad for their Nations Championship opener against the All Blacks.
Galthie has again opted for a Bordeaux-Begles core within his group, with the likes of Matthieu Jalibert, Maxime Lucu, Nicolas Depoortere, Marko Gazzotti, Damian Penaud, Maxime Lamothe and Yoram Moefana all included, while Jefferson Poirot looks set to win his first Test cap since 2019 after being included in the wider squad.
A group of players from Top 14 finalists Montpellier and Toulouse will link up with the travelling party next week, following the conclusion of their club duties this Saturday (27 June); however, they will not feature against the All Blacks.
That unit is set to include captain Antoine Dupont, with reports in the French media suggesting he is heading to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time since 2017.
Fabien Galthie trims squad for All Blacks showdown
Les Bleus boss Galthie has entrusted a decent group from the France XV squad in his extended 33-man squad to take on the All Blacks, with the likes of Tom Staniforth, Antoine Hastoy, Nolann le Garrec, Esteban Capilla and Fabien Brau-Boirie all included.
Elsewhere, recent call-ups Moses Alo-Emile, Hugo Auradou, Demba Bamba, Théo Forner, Émilien Gailleton, Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, Oscar Jegou, Max Spring, Tevita Tatafu and the aforementioned Bordeaux trio of Jalibert, Lucu and Penaud also remain with the squad.
But, Loïs Guérois, Christian Ambadiang, Pierre Bochaton, Louis Le Brun, Baptiste Jauneau, Lucas Martin and Emerick Setiano all drop out of the initial group.
France have already got their summer off to a winning start in the uncapped meeting against England XV, but kick off their Nations Championship campaign against the All Blacks on Saturday, 4 July, before taking on Australia and Japan later in the month.
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France 33-man squad in full
Forwards: Moses Alo-Émile, Hugo Auradou, Demba Bamba, Esteban Capilla, Sipili Falatea, Marko Gazzotti, Mickaël Guillard, Oscar Jegou, Maxime Lamothe, Barnabé Massa, Temo Matiu, Régis Montagne, Boris Palu, Jefferson Poirot, Tom Staniforth, Tevit Tatafu, Killian Tixeront, Reda Wardi
Backs: Theo Attissogbe, Fabien Brau-Boirie, Nicolas Depoortere, Mathis Ferté, Théo Forner, Émilien Gailleton, Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, Antoine Hastoy, Matthieu Jalibert, Nolann le Garrec, Maxime Lucu, Yoram Moefana, Damian Penaud, Max Spring
