France superstar Charles Ollivon in doubt for Six Nations opener against Ireland
France back-row Charles Ollivon during a game.
France flanker and key leader, Charles Ollivon, is a doubt for Les Bleus’ Six Nations opener against Ireland on February 2 after he pulled his quad in training at Toulon.
Planet Rugby understands that the Frenchman is expected to be out for three to four weeks, impacting the crunch match against Ireland which could well decide the tournament winner.
Captaincy concern
Ollivon has been a crucial leader for Les Bleus for an extended period and would be a massive loss for the side.
With the flanker potentially out, it poses a captaincy conundrum for head coach Fabien Galthie as regular skipper Antoine Dupont is absent for the Six Nations as he switches to sevens with the hope of playing for his country at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Industrious number eight Gregory Alldritt is reportedly leading the race for the captaincy thanks to his success skippering La Rochelle. There are other potential candidates the coach can look to with Anthony Jelonch one of the options.
The back-row is no stranger to the captain’s armband having led his country during their three-match Test series against Australia in 2021.
Galthie may opt to go a different route with veteran Gael Fickou among those in the leadership group who have led the side at some point. As has Francois Cros, albeit he took over captaincy during a game.
After their opener against Ireland, France travel to Murrayfield to take on Scotland followed by a home game against Italy.
The final two rounds see Les Bleus head to Wales before hosting England in the final encounter.
France Six Nations fixtures
France v Ireland
Date: Friday, February 2
Venue: Orange Velodrome, Marseille
Kick-off: 21:00 local (20:00 GMT)
Scotland v France
Date: Saturday, February 10
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 14:15 GMT
France v Italy
Date: Sunday, February 25
Venue: Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
Kick-off: 16:00 local (15:00 GMT)
Wales v France
Date: Sunday, March 10
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
France v England
Date: Saturday, March 16
Venue: Parc OL, Lyon
Kick-off: 21:00 (20:00 GMT)
READ MORE: Six Nations: All the fixtures and kick-off times ahead of the 2024 edition
