Bordeaux players dominate Les Bleus squad
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: France coach Fabien Galthie on Monday named nine of the side that helped Bordeaux-Begles to triumph in the Champions Cup in his squad for Friday’s non-cap international against England A in Vannes.
Players from Toulouse, Racing 92, Stade Francais and Montpellier, who will feature in next weekend’s Top 14 semifinals, have not been considered. Bordeaux failed to reach the play-offs.
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Three of Bordeaux’s star players, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert have all been given an extra week of rest.
However, their contingent includes prop Jefferson Poirot, who won 36 caps, three of them as captain, before retiring from international rugby six years ago at the age of just 27.
Galthie has also included nine uncapped players, including the Australian-born lock forward Tom Staniforth and his Castres teammate Christian Ambadiang, who was born in Cameroon and brought up in South Africa.
Following Friday’s warm-up, Galthie will name a different squad to play the first three France fixtures in the new Nations Championship in July, in New Zealand and then in Australia and Japan.
Forwards: Pierre Bochaton, Esteban Capilla, Sipili Falatea, Marko Gazzotti, Mickaël Guillard, Maxime Lamothe, Lucas Martin, Barnabé Massa, Temo Matiu, Régis Montagne, Boris Palu, Jefferson Poirot, Emerick Setiano, Thomas Staniforth, Killian Tixeront, Réda Wardi, Arrières
Backs: Christian Ambadiang, Grégoire Arfeuil, Théo Attissogbe, Fabien Brau-Boirie, Nicolas Depoortere, Axel Desperes, Mathis Ferté, Antoine Hastoy, Baptiste Jauneau, Louis Le Brun, Nolann Le Garrec, Yoram Moefana
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