Advertisement
Fabien Galthié has decided to twist rather than stick. After an underwhelming Autumn Nations Series for Les Bleus that raised more questions than it provided answers, we posited whether the France Head Coach would remain loyal to many of his trusted lieutenants or whether he would bring through some of the burgeoning young talent. In omitting the experienced trio of Gaël Fickou, Damian Penaud and Grégory Alldritt from his initial 42-man squad ahead of the 2026 Men’s 6 Nations - as well as selecting eight uncapped players - it would appear he has finally recognised the need to refresh the side so many had hoped would win the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The exclusion of these three has arguably been coming, with large parts of the French rugby public championing the cases of other players since 2023. However, if it had been coming, Galthié didn’t see it, since two of them (Fickou and Alldritt) captained France in November. If it was his intention to omit them a few months later, even for Galthié that would seem to be some curious 6 Nations planning.
France’s real captain, of course, has returned. Being able to call upon Antoine Dupont again is undoubtedly a positive for France and is the reason why they will be hopeful of retaining their 6 Nations crown. It is, however, tempered by the absence of the men who deputised for him while he was unavailable in the Autumn. All three of Maxime Lucu, Nolann Le Garrec and Baptiste Jauneau are injured and will miss (at least) the start of the 6 Nations. Baptiste Serin returns to what many consider his rightful position as no.2 to France’s no.9. Thibault Daubagna takes the third scrum half slot. He has been fit more consistently this season than the effervescent Baptiste Couilloud, and is perhaps seen as the most like-for-like for Lucu in the ‘Steady Eddie’ role.
The other key headline, of course, is the absence of Dupont’s regular half-back partner. The injury to Romain Ntamack, who may return as soon as Round 2, opens the door for Matthieu Jalibert - although, in truth, Jalibert had already kicked it down many times over. Despite Jalibert’s stratospheric form this season, there is still the seemingly unthinkable possibility that he won’t be wearing the No.10 jersey when France kick off this year’s campaign at the Stade de France against Ireland. There are only two out-and-out fly-half options in the squad as well as Thomas Ramos. The return to fitness of Romain Buros - arguably the best full back in the Top 14 under the high ball, an area France have been weak - means that Galthié has the option of moving Thomas Ramos to fly-half, should he wish to do so.
Most Tries, Most Caps & the Vice Captain
The main story, though, is of course the omissions of those three experienced heads. It remains to be seen whether the dropping of Penaud, Fickou and Alldritt is a kick up the proverbial backside and a warning to the whole squad not to take their places for granted, or whether Galthié really does want to move on from those three. It might seem strange to many, but the case for the latter is a strong one.
Penaud can consider himself the unluckiest of the three. Had Théo Attissogbe not got injured in September, Penaud may not have had the starting role in the Autumn Nations Series. However, his two tries in that disappointing opening game against South Africa took him two clear of Serge Blanco as France’s all time record try scorer, with a phenomenal 40 tries in 59 games.
The tries have dried up for Penaud ever so slightly this season, with 8 from 16 games, although he is coming down from a very high base, having scored 27 tries in 26 games last season. The form may have dipped, and there are some brilliant prospects coming into the squad, but it’s hard to see how he is not still one of the best five wingers in France.
It is a similar situation with Fickou, albeit the argument that there are better options is a far more compelling one. Yoram Moefana returned from long term injury in December. He was one of France’s best players in their 6 Nations title win last year, and has picked up where he left off. Meanwhile, Nicolas Depoortère is undoubtedly the form centre in France, both at Top 14 level and at international level too, with two tries in both of the games he started in the Autumn. They also form a partnership at club level that has just topped the rankings in the Champions Cup with four bonus point wins.
Kalvin Gourgues, who burst on the international scene with an eye-opening cameo from the bench against Australia, has had an excellent season, while the uncapped pair of Noah Néné and Fabien Brau-Boirie have arguably been more impressive and look more ready for international rugby than even Gourgues has. Fickou, meanwhile, has been relegated to the wing, with Racing 92 coach Patrice Collazo preferring the Fijian pairing of Josua Tuisova and Vinaya Habosi as his first choice centres.
One thing Fickou does have though, is experience. He currently sits on 98 caps, 30 more than the most experienced player in this France Squad, Uini Atonio; of the remaining centre options, Moefana is the oldest at 25 years old and with 38 caps, he has 30 more than the other four combined.
For Alldritt, the case is far more complicated. There is surely no longer a debate about whether he is currently the player that he once was. There was a time, as France charged towards their home World Cup, when he would have rightly been in the conversation for a World XV. That is no longer the case. We still see flashes of those former all-action barnstorming performances, but they are less frequent. He is the personification of the fading La Rochelle side he captains.
There is a nagging sense though, with his calm but fierce leadership, that for the teams in which he plays, he brings something more intangible than that visible to the eye. What’s more, he is still only 28 years old and there is also less obvious young blood coming in to replace him. Mickaël Guillard (25) started all three tests against New Zealand at No.8 and was France’s outstanding player on that Summer Tour; Temo Matiu (24) has found his feet at UBB and a rich vein of form with it; while Lenni Nouchi (22) feels like the most natural replacement for Alldritt with his leadership, work-rate and aggressive ball carrying. And yet, the suggestion coming out of France’s training camp at Marcoussis is that it will be Anthony Jelonch - Alldritt’s long-time (and slightly older) friend from their days in the youth team at Auch - that will wear the no.8 jersey against Ireland.
Fabien Galthié has said that “a selection is a snapshot in time”, the sort of enigmatic, pointedly clear yet deeply complex phrase typical of the France boss. This France side is clearly at a juncture, and this squad selection certainly reflects that. But it could all look and feel very different come the end of a 6 Nations campaign which the reigning champions head into as favourites with the bookmakers.
Four Players to Watch
Lenni Nouchi (Back Row, Montpellier, 22 years old - 2 caps)
Even at only 22 years old, it feels like Nouchi’s time has been coming for a while. He captained France’s all-conquering team to the U20 World Championship title in 2023* and was capped at Test level the following year in Argentina, where he was one of France’s best players across the two games. Despite some mighty performances as captain of Montpellier since then, further caps have remained elusive thanks to an unfortunate habit of picking up injuries just after being announced in squads by Fabien Galthié.
With the decline of Alldritt, this feels like it is his time. He has played more regularly as a flanker for Montpellier (primarily due to the presence of team mate Billy Vunipola), but is more than capable of playing No.8. He is aggressive both sides of the ball, and has a rugby intelligence beyond his years, which has helped him to six tries in 12 appearances this season.
Tevita Tatafu (Tighthead Prop, Bayonne, 23yo - 2 caps)
Another man whose time has been coming for a while is Tongan-born prop Tevita Tatafu, so much so that he was actually selected for the tour to Argentina in 2024 despite not actually being eligible to play; France were counting down the days until he qualified on residency grounds. He eventually won two caps as a starter in November 2024, but went off injured after only nine minutes in his second cap against New Zealand.
He’s not actually made a competitive appearance since May, which shows not only how threadbare France’s tighthead stocks are, but also how much they are pinning on him being the long-term successor to Uini Atonio. He is the heir apparent to the La Rochelle man in more ways than one, with his Pacific heritage and the fact he tips the 150kg mark on the scales. If he is fit, expect him to get more game time, and look out for his explosive ball carrying.
Hugo Auradou (Second Row, Pau, 22yo - 10 caps)
Of all the outrageously talented Pau youngsters in this France squad, it is Auradou who is arguably the most important for his club side. With Auradou at the helm, the Pau lineout has been the best in the Top 14 this season and they have used it to score more maul tries than any other side. Their rise to 2nd in the Top 14 wouldn’t have happened without Auradou’s technical excellence and athleticism at the lineout - not to mention his relentless work-rate around the park.
He may be a standout at Top 14 level, but he has yet to be fully trusted by Fabien Galthié. He is averaging only 29 minutes per game in his 10 caps - and that despite starting all three tests in New Zealand last summer. With Thibaud Flament opting to miss the Ireland game on personal grounds, is now the time for Galthié to show a bit more faith in Auradou as the main man to run the French lineout?
Théo Attissogbe (Wing/Full Back, Pau, 21yo - 8 caps)
Anyone who watched France’s games in last year’s 6 Nations or their three tests in New Zealand last summer will already be well aware of Attissogbe. He has five tries in his eight test appearances and the New Zealand Herald even compared him to Serge Blanco (himself nicknamed ‘The Pelé of Rugby’). You’ll have to forgive us, then, for including him in this list, but we felt we had to because we are yet to see the full extent of his talent on the international stage.
He may well have started ahead of Penaud in the Autumn had he not been ruled out for four months back in September. He has electric feet, breathtaking ability under the high ball, and a boot that far too many sides are still underestimating; in short, Attissogbe was born to play rugby. His team mates at Pau suggest that full back is his best position, so he will get more game time in this 6 Nations campaign, it just remains to be seen which position that will be. And when you fall in love like we have, we will let you join The Attissog-BAEs (The (Un)Official Théo Attissogbe Fan Club).
* Remarkably five of the starting XV from the 2023 U20 Championship Final are included in this squad, and a total eight have already won full international caps. All-but-two of the match day 23 have played in the Top 14 and many of them in the Champions Cup - perhaps this is why Galthié has felt the need for a slight changing of the guard…