France leave out Penaud, Alldritt and Fickou

France head coach Fabien Galthié has made major selection calls ahead of the upcoming Guinness Six Nations, naming a 42-man squad that excludes several of the national side’s most established figures.

Winger Damian Penaud, back-row leader Grégory Alldritt and experienced centre Gaël Fickou have all been left out of the group for the championship. The omissions mark a significant shift in approach as France prepare to begin their campaign with a home fixture against Ireland.

Penaud remains France’s all-time leading try scorer, while Alldritt has been a central figure in recent seasons, captaining the side in the absence of Antoine Dupont. Fickou, meanwhile, is one of the most capped players in French rugby history and has been a long-standing presence in the midfield.

There is positive news for France in the return of Antoine Dupont, who is back in contention after a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury. The Toulouse scrum-half is expected to play a key role once again as France look to defend their Six Nations crown.

Fly-half Romain Ntamack has not been selected due to injury, reducing France’s playmaking options and opening the door for alternative choices in the half-backs.

France Six Nations squad:

Forwards: Dorian Aldegheri, Uini Atonio, Cyrill Baille, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Regis Montagne, Rodrigue Neti, Dany Priso, Tevita Tatafu, Maxime Lamothe, Julian Marchant, Peato Mauvaka, Hugo Auradou, Thibaud Flament, Emmanuel Meafou, Lenni Nouchi, Tom Staniforth, Paul Boudehent, Francois Cros, Alexandre Fischer, Mickael Guillard, Oscar Jegou, Anthony Jelonch, Temo Matiu, Charles Ollivon, Cameron Woki.

Backs: Thibault Daubagna, Antoine Dupont, Baptiste Serin, Matthieu Jalibert, Ugo Seunes, Fabien Brau-Boirie, Nicolas Depoortere, Kalvin Gourgues, Yoram Moefana, Noah Nene, Gregoire Arfeuil, Theo Attissogbe, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Romain Buros, Gael Drean, Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, Thomas Ramos.