France to unleash 145kg powerhouse lock during the Six Nations
Emmanuel Meafou of Toulouse during the French championship Top 14 rugby.
France are set to unleash powerhouse lock Emmanuel Meafou during the 2024 Six Nations after he became eligible for Les Bleus.
The French Rugby Federation requested for Meafou to be given clearance to play for France during the Rugby World Cup, but World Rugby rejected their plea.
Meafou now eligible for France
Meafou was born in New Zealand to Samoan parents before his family moved to Australia, who he is still eligible for.
After representing the Melbourne Rising, the 25-year-old signed for Top 14 side Toulouse in December 2018.
He has since become a star player in the Toulouse pack and has racked up over 80 appearances for the side, winning three Top 14 titles and a Champions Cup trophy.
His form with Les Rouge et Noir impressed France head coach Fabien Galthie, who hoped to have his services at the World Cup and Meafou has even attended French training camps despite being ineligible.
However, that will change on Thursday, when he will officially become a French citizen at a ceremony at Toulouse’s town hall.
This comes as a blow for the Wallabies, who could have selected the second-row, but he rejected former head coach Eddie Jones’ advances.
“I see my future in France,” Meafou told the Sydney Morning Herald in February.
“France is where I built my professional career, and France is where I was given the opportunity to grow into my skin. I speak with the French coach regularly. They see how they can try and help me and how I can get better.”
From Thursday, Meafou will officially be eligible for France and could make his Test debut in the opening match of the 2024 Six Nations when Les Bleus face Ireland.
His eligibility is a huge boost for France after Romain Taofifenua announced his retirement from Test rugby following France’s quarter-final loss to the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup.
Fellow lock Paul Willemse has also struggled with injuries of late and subsequently missed the tournament.
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