In a week, Sunday February 5, the XV of France will play its first ranges in the 2023 Six Nations Tournament, against Italy. If the competition is already traditionally one of the most anticipated meetings of international rugby, this year it is also the last major rehearsal before the World Cup, organized from September 8 to October 28 in France.
Sunday January 29, two new players were summoned by coach Fabien Galthié and the management of the Blues to join in Capbreton, in the Landes, the group of forty-two called to prepare for the first match of the tournament, of which France is holding of the title.
Among them: Toulon winger Gabin Villière. Usual holder with the Blues, the 27-year-old returned to competition on Saturday after two months off. Injured in an ankle, then in a hand, he played only two matches with his club this season. For his return, he showed a lot of desire during the victory of the RCT against Pau (27-16). Despite two forwards, Villière was very present in the rucks as usual and obtained a penalty after a good scraping, before being replaced in the 62e minute of play.
Last match with the Blues on March 18, 2022
Thursday, the coach of the backs of the XV of France, Laurent Labit, had confided to rely on him for the Six Nations: “We will watch his match this weekend and especially his feelings. We know what Gabin is capable of and what he has done with us. What matters most to us is the feeling and the sensations it will have. »
The former Rouen winger, who went through rugby sevens, had not played with the France team since the victory over England (25-13), on March 18, 2022, in the Six Nations Tournament. , where he had finished co-top try scorer with Damian Penaud (three each).
The other “new” selected from the initial list of the staff of the XV of France, unveiled in mid-January, is the left pillar of the Stade Français Clément Castets, 26 years old and never capped until then. Holder Saturday during the defeat of the “Soldats roses” in Perpignan (31-24), he played for an hour.
Numerically, Castets and Villière replace in the tricolor group the left pillar of Toulon Dany Priso and the second line of Bordeaux-Bègles Thomas Jolmès.
The list of 42 players summoned by Fabien Galthié:
Pillars: Uini Atonio, Cyril Baille, Clément Castets, Sipili Falatea, Mohamed Haouas, Reda Wardi.
Hookers: Gaëtan Barlot, Julien Marchand, Teddy Baubigny.
Second lines: Bastien Chalureau, Thibaud Flament, Thomas Lavault, Romain Taofifenua, Paul Willemse.
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Third lines: Grégory Alldritt, Alexandre Bécognée, Paul Boudehent, Yacouba Camara, Dylan Cretin, François Cros, Anthony Jelonch, Sékou Macalou, Charles Ollivon.
Scrum half: Baptiste Couilloud, Antoine Dupont, Nolann Le Garrec.
Fly-half: Antoine Hastoy, Matthieu Jalibert, Romain Ntamack.
Wingers: Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Ethan Dumortier, Damian Penaud, Matthis Lebel, Gabin Villière.
Centers: Pierre-Louis Barassi, Julien Delbouis, Gaël Fickou, Emilien Gailleton, Yoram Moefana.
Rears: Romain Buros, Melvyn Jaminet, Thomas Ramos.