Only seven France players from the match-day squad that ran New Zealand so close in the Rugby World Cup 2011 final have made the cut for Philippe Saint-André’s training squad to prepare for the 2015 edition in England.
France’s try scorer against the All Blacks four years ago, captain Thierry Dusatoir, tight-head prop Nicolas Mas and hooker Dimitri Szarzewski are all set to compete at their third Rugby World Cup having played in both the 2007 and 2011 editions, as is the mercurial Freddie Michalak, who missed the last tournament but played in RWC 2003 and 2007.
The other returnees from the RWC 2011 final match day squad are veteran second-row Pascal Papé, scrum-half Morgan Parra, who played at number 10 in Auckland, his replacement that day François Trinh-Duc, and loose forward Fulgence Ouedraogo, who failed to make it off the bench in the agonising 8-7 defeat.
Ça y est, c’est officiel ! A l’issue de cette saison, une grande aventure nous attend. Très heureux d’en faire parti! #RWC2015 @FFRugby
— Thierry Dusautoir (@TitiDusautoir) May 19, 2015
Michalak, who will miss the end of the Top 14 season because of a hand injury, was perhaps something of a surprise inclusion having not featured for Les Bleus since June last year, while Trinh-Duc only returned to play in March after breaking his leg last year.
The Les Bleus squad will come together at Marcoussis on 6 July to step up preparations for a Rugby World Cup which will see them face Ireland, Italy, Canada and Romania in Pool D. France will play three warm-up matches, against England (15 and 22 August) and Scotland (5 September).
France training squad:
Forwards (20): Uini Atonio (La Rochelle), Eddy Ben Arous (Racing-Métro), Xavier Chiocci (Toulon), Vincent Debaty (Clermont), Nicolas Mas (Montpellier), Rabah Slimani (Stade Français); Guilhem Guirado (Toulon), Benjamin Kayser (Clermont), Dimitri Szarzewski (Racing-Métro); Alexandre Flanquart (Stade Français), Yoann Maestri (Toulouse), Pascal Papé (Stade Français), Sébastien Vahaamahina (Clermont); Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse), Bernard Le Roux (Racing-Métro), Yannick Nyanga (Toulouse), Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier); Damien Chouly (Clermont), Loann Goujon (La Rochelle), Louis Picamoles (Toulouse).
Backs (16): Rory Kockott (Castres), Morgan Parra (Clermont), Sébastien Tillous-Borde (Toulon); Frédéric Michalak (Toulon), Rémi Tales (Castres), François Trinh-Duc (Montpellier); Mathieu Bastareaud (Toulon), Alexandre Dumoulin (Racing-Métro), Gaël Fickou (Toulouse), Wesley Fofana (Clermont), Rémi Lamerat (Castres); Brice Dulin (Racing-Métro), Sofiane Guitoune (Bordeaux-Bègles), Yoann Huget (Toulouse), Noa Nakaitaci (Clermont), Scott Spedding (Bayonne)
