France taking 42 players on Australia tour
NEWS: France will travel to Australia with an enlarged rugby squad of 42 players, but without any from the two teams that play the Top 14 final, the league (LNR) and federation (FFR) announced on Thursday.
The two bodies have reached an agreement “that will allow the French national team to play Australia in July with an expanded squad of 42 players” to “strengthen the competitiveness” of the team ahead of the 2023 World Cup in France, they said in a joint statement.
The squad will not include players from the two clubs who play the Top 14 final on June 25.
The squad will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine in a hotel when they arrive in Australia.
La Rochelle face Racing 92 in one semifinal on Friday. Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles meet to decide the other final place on Saturday. Between them the clubs provided eight players who started against Scotland in the last Six Nations match in March.
The French open their three-test series on July 7 in Sydney and then play the Wallabies again on July 13 in Melbourne and July 17 in Brisbane.
