Latest news with #GaelFickou
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
French side an unknown quantity
Gael Fickou. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES They will hardly be easy-beats but there is no doubt the French team to play the All Blacks in Dunedin next week will be an unknown quantity. Just as well there will still be plenty of star names in the team in black. France coach Fabien Galthie yesterday named 17 uncapped players in his squad for the looming three-test series in New Zealand. The likelihood of the tourists bringing a depleted squad to these shores had been well forecast. Star halfback Antoine Dupont is injured, rampaging No 8 Gregory Alldritt and classy prop Jean-Baptiste Gros are rested, and the likes of Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Thibaud Flament and Damian Penaud are involved in the Top 14 final this weekend between Toulouse and Bordeaux. Galthie is allowed to select five players from that final, but they will only be available for the second and third tests against the All Blacks. Romain Taofifenua. Racing 92 centre Gael Fickou, who has 94 test caps, will captain France in the Forsyth Barr Stadium test. Veteran forwards Rabah Slimani and Romain Taofifenua are the only other players in the initial squad with significant experience. Versatile forward Cameron Woki has been cleared to play after the red card he copped while playing for a French XV at Twickenham last weekend was rescinded. An interesting newcomer is lock Jacobus van Tonder. He was a South African representative at schools level before moving to France to pursue a professional career. Uncapped hooker Guillaume Marchand is the younger brother of French and Toulouse hooker Julien Marchand. France squad For All Blacks series Forwards: Esteban Abadie, Hugo Auradou, Demba Bamba, Gaetan Barlot, Giorgi Beria, Pierre Bourgarit, Georges-Henri Colombe, Tyler Duguid, Baptiste Erdocio, Alexandre Fischer, Mickael Guillard, Matthias Halagahu, Paul Mallez, Guillaume Marchand, Regis Montagne, Rabah Slimani, Romain Taofifenua, Killian Tixeront, Jacobus van Tonder, Theo William, Cameron Woki. Backs: Gael Fickou (captain), Theo Attissogbe, Leo Barre, Leo Berdeu, Leon Darricarrere, Thibault Daubagna, Alivereti Duguivalu, Emilien Gailleton, Antoine Hastoy, Baptiste Jauneau, Nolann Le Garrec, Theo Millet, Joris Segonds, Tom Spring, Cheikh Tiberghien, Gabin Villiere.
NZ Herald
17 hours ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
All Blacks v France: French journalist reacts to weakened New Zealand touring squad
An understrength French outfit 'could keep the All Blacks guessing' after a host of rookies were named in the squad to tour Aotearoa next month. Les Bleus coach Fabien Galthie has named an inexperienced 37-man squad to tour New Zealand, inclusive of 17 uncapped players. Centre Gael Fickou, who has
NZ Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
All Blacks v France: Gael Fickou to captain youthful France squad for tour of New Zealand
Gael Fickou will captain an inexperienced France squad for their tour of New Zealand next month, the French rugby federation announced today. The reigning Six Nations champions will be missing many senior players for the tour, such as Gregory Alldritt. Coach Fabien Galthie has called up 37 players for the
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Fickou to captain youthful France squad for tour of New Zealand
Gael Fickou will captain an inexperienced France squad for their tour of New Zealand this summer, the French rugby federation announced on Tuesday. HT Image The reigning Six Nations champions will be missing many senior players for the tour, such as Gregory Alldritt. Coach Fabien Galthie has called up 37 players for the three matches against New Zealand on July 5, 12 and 19. However, the list will likely grow by up to five additional players following Saturday's Top 14 final between Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles. Fickou skippered the side for the friendly victory over England last weekend, and, with 94 caps, the Racing 92 centre is the most experienced active French player. For the tour of New Zealand, where France have not beaten the All Blacks since 2009, the 31-year-old will be tasked with bringing experience to a squad featuring 28 players with fewer than 10 caps. Fickou will be joined by other international veterans including prop Rabah Slimani and second row Romain Taofifenua. But a number of others are absent such as forwards Alldritt, Paul Boudehent and Jean-Baptiste Gros either through injury or the decision to rest them. The squad could be bolstered with the addition of the likes of Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos, Thibaud Flament, Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey from the two Top 14 finalists. Some of these players could fly to the southern hemisphere after the final if they have not already used up the quota of 2,000 minutes played over the whole season set by the national team. However, Galthie has been able to count on the players from defeated semi-finalists Bayonne and Toulon, notably Bayonne fly-half Joris Segonds, Toulon flanker Esteban Abadie and winger Gabin Villiere. France squad for New Zealand tour Forwards : Esteban Abadie Hugo Auradou , Demba Bamba , Gaetan Barlot , Giorgi Beria , Pierre Bourgarit , Georges-Henri Colombe , Tyler Duguid , Baptiste Erdocio , Alexandre Fischer , Mickael Guillard , Matthias Halagahu , Paul Mallez , Guillaume Marchand , Regis Montagne , Rabah Slimani , Romain Taofifenua , Killian Tixeront , Jacobus Van Tonder , Theo William , Cameron Woki Backs : Theo Attissogbe , Leo Barre , Leo Berdeu , Leon Darricarrere , Thibault Daubagna , Alivereti Duguivalu , Gael Fickou , Emilien Gailleton , Antoine Hastoy , Baptiste Jauneau , Nolann Le Garrec , Theo Millet , Joris Segonds , Tom Spring , Cheikh Tiberghien , Gabin Villiere fs/ig/nf/mw This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Le Garrec and Hastoy to steer France A against England
Nolann Le Garrec and Antoine Hastoy will form a strong half-back partnership for the France second-string XV that takes on an England XV in Saturday's non-capped match at Allianz Stadium. Le Garrec, along with Maxime Lucu, has served as back-up to France's first-choice scrum-half Antoine Dupont over the past couple of seasons, winning 10 caps at the age of Hastoy started both last summer's Tests against Argentina and was key to a late-season run of form that almost carried La Rochelle into the Top 14 pair will play alongside each other at club level next season with Le Garrec moving to La Rochelle from Racing 92 this the experienced Gael Fickou partners 21-year-old emerging star Emilien Gailleton in the centres, while 35-year-old Leinster prop Rabah Slimani, who has not played for his country in almost six years, starts in the front Attissogbe, who scored three tries in France's run to the Six Nations title, starts at full-back with the uncapped duo of Alivereti Duguivalu and Mael Moustin on the Duguid, who grew up in Canada but moved to France as a teenager, is named in the second row with Mickael Guillard, one of the breakout successes of France's Six Nations, at number head coach Fabien Galthie is without players from Toulouse, Bordeaux-Begles, Toulon and Bayonne as they contest the Top 14 frontline stars are usually rested for the country's summer tours, however, the federation has struck an agreement with their clubs to release a small number of Test regulars for the three-match series against New Zealand in named their team on Thursday with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso making his comeback after six months out with a shoulder injury. France A: Attissogbe; Moustin, Gailleton, Fickou, Duguivalu; Hastoy, Le Garrec; Erdocio, Barlot, Slimani, Auradou, Duguid, Fishcher, Tixeront, G Marchand, Mallez, Bamba, Taofifenua, Van Tonder, Woki, Jauneau, Berdeu
