Hayraud has revealed her first team selection for the 2021 Six Nations
There are surprises. Neither Safi N’Diaye nor Jessy Trémoulière start, a move the manager puts down to performances this week and the need for spread her choices as wide as possible. The average age is 26, the average number of caps 25.
The Squad:
15 Emilie Boulard
14 Caroline Boujard
13 Maëlle Filopon
12 Gabrielle Vernier
11 Marine Ménager
10 Morgane Peyronnet
9 Pauline Bourdon
1 Annaëlle Deshayes
2 Agathe Sochat
3 Clara Joyeux
4 Coumba Diallo
5 Madoussou Fall
6 Celine Ferer
7 Gaëlle Hermet (captain)
8 Emeline Gros
Bench
16 Laure Touye
17 Ait Lahbib
18 Dhia-Maïlys Traoré
19 Safi N’Diaye
20 Marjorie Mayans
21 Laure Sansus
22 Camille Imart
23 Jessy Trémoulière
Names we might have expected to see here are consigned to the 7s programme which is building up to the summer Olympics. But the Welsh defence will be relieved that Cyrielle Banet missing from the No 14 shirt. Pauline Bourdon gets the nod over Laure Sansus in the hot competition for the scrum-half position.
Hayraud is well aware that her team can’t afford a repeat of their off-colour performance against Scotland. They produced a wonderful show against England at Twickenham, even if victory was snatched from their grasp at the last moment. Some less familiar faces (Boulard, Peyronnet, Gros, etc) now have the chance to stake a claim for consideration when it comes to even more important fare next year, a World Cup followed by the intoxicating WXV.
