Galthie taking no chances

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: France coach Fabien Galthie has named 22 uncapped players in his final squad for next month’s three-game tour of South America.

The new faces included Munster centre Antoine Frisch who spent last week at Les Bleus pre-tour training camp after choosing to represent France over Ireland.

Three props in Grenoble’s Regis Montagne as well as Bayonne pair Mathis Perchaud are Tevita Tatafu are the only players not to make it from the camp to the final squad.

Galthie has picked 11 individuals from Stade Francais and La Rochelle, the two sides who tasted defeat during this weekend’s French Top 14 semifinals.

Players from Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles, who will meet in next Friday’s Final, are unavailable for the tour, which includes two Test against Argentina on July 6 and 13, either side of a non-capped match against Uruguay on July 10.

In-form 21-year-old La Rochelle flank Oscar Jegou is included for the first time having been banned for a month earlier in the season for cocaine use.

Stade Francais flank Romain Briatte, 31, also gets his maiden call-up after their defeat to Bordeaux-Begles on Saturday.

Toulon scrumhalf Baptiste Serin is the most experienced member of the squad with 44 caps, having made his Test debut against the Pumas in 2016.

Props Sebastien Taofifenua and Georges-Henri Colombe as well as full-back Leo Barre are the only survivors from France’s last game, the 33-31 Six Nations victory over England in March.

France’s poster boy Antoine Dupont is absent with Toulouse after which he will join up with France’s Sevens team, eyeing a place in their squad for the Paris Olympic Games.

France squad

Forwards: Gaetan Barlot, Teddy Baubigny, Jannick Tarit; Demba Bamba, Giorgi Beria, Georges-Henri Colombe, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Thomas Laclayat, Sebastien Taofifenua; Hugo Auradou, Pierre-Henri Azagoh, Baptiste Pesenti, Posolo Tuilagi, Florent Vanverberghe; Romain Briatte, Judicael Cancoriet, Ibrahim Diallo, Mickael Guillard, Oscar Jegou, Jordan Joseph, Lenni Nouchi, Yann Peysson, Killian Tixeront.

Backs: Baptiste Couilloud, Baptiste Jauneau, Baptiste Serin, Leo Berdeu, Louis Carbonel, Antoine Hastoy, Leon Darricarrere, Simeli Daunivucu, Jules Favre, Antoine Frisch, Emilien Gailleton, Arthur Vincent; Theo Attissogbe, Leo Barre, Lucas Dubois, Lester Etien, Nathanael Hulleu, Joris Jurand.