France without star forward for Six Nations opener
SQUAD UPDATE: Bordeaux flank Cameron Woki was drafted into the France squad for the opening Six Nations game against Italy following the withdrawal of Gregory Alldritt, the French federation announced on Thursday.
Alldritt, a regular in coach Fabien Galthie’s first-choice backrow alongside Francois Cros and captain Charles Ollivon, played a full part in La Rochelle’s last game against Agen and the FFR gave no explanation for his withdrawal from the 37-man squad.
Woki, who has four caps, made his international debut as a replacement in last year’s Six Nations’ win over England in Paris and he also featured in the victory over Italy.
His first start came against Italy in the Nations Cup and, with most of the first-choice players not available for the final, the 22-year-old also impressed against England at Twickenham.
He hobbled off the field 10 days ago during Bordeaux’s 31-9 win over Lyon, suffering from a “small sprain of the right ankle”, according to his coach Christophe Urios.
The French gather in Nice on January 25 to begin their preparations before kicking off in Italy on February 6, if the coronavirus situation allows the competition to go ahead.
