Thomas Darracq has published 38 names of players to form a wider training group for the World Cup.
It will be reduced to 32 at the end of the timetable shown below.
The Squad:
ANNERY Julie (Stade Français Paris)
BANET Cyrielle (Montpellier)
BERNADOU Rose (Montpellier)
BERTHOUMIEU Axelle (Blagnac)
BOUJARD Caroline Montpellier)
BOULARD Émilie (Chilly Mazarin)
BOURDON Pauline (Stade Toulousain)
BOURGEOIS Morgane (Stade Bordelais)
BROSSEAU Yllana (Stade Bordelais)
CHAMBON Alexandra (Grenoble)
DESHAYES Annaëlle (Lyon Olympique Universitaire)
DOMAIN Célia (Blagnac)
DROUIN Caroline (Stade Rennais)
DUPOUY Marie (Blagnac)
ESCUDERO Charlotte (Blagnac)
FALL Madoussou (Stade Bordelais)
FELEU Manaé (Grenoble)
FERER Céline (Stade Toulousain)
FILOPON Maëlle (Stade Toulousain)
FORLANI Audrey (Blagnac)
GROS Émeline (Montpellier)
HERMET Gaëlle (Stade Toulousain)
JACQUET Chloé (Lyon Olympique Universitaire)
JOYEUX Clara (Blagnac)
KHALFAOUI Assia (Stade Bordelais)
LINDELAUF Coco (Blagnac)
LLORENS Mélissande (Blagnac)
MAYANS Marjorie (Blagnac)
MENAGER Marine (Montpellier)
MENAGER Romane (Montpellier)
N’DIAYE Safi (Montpellier)
QUEYROI Lina (Blagnac)
RIFFONEAU Élisa (Stade Rennais)
SANSUS Laure (Stade Toulousain)
SOCHAT Agathe (Stade Bordelais)
TOUYÉ Laure (Montpellier)
TREMOULIERE Jessy (Romagnat)
VERNIER Gabrielle (Blagnac Rugby)
The large number of players allows the selectors some elbow room. So senior players like Safi N’Diaye and Marjorie Mayans can still find a place. At the other end of the scale less familiar names like Élisa Riffoneau, Morgane Bourgeois, Line Queyroi and Charlotte Escudero are all uncapped.
Timetable:
18-20 July: National training centre Marcoussis
31 July-9 August: National training centre, Marcoussis
14-24 August: Training session, Andorra
30 August-11 September: Training session, Nice
14 September: Announcement of the 30 players picked for the RWC 2021
22 September: Departure for New Zealand
The one feature missing is any mention of an outward summer tour. Like the Red Roses they had initially planned a tour to New Zealand – a first ever for them – and Annick Hayraud mentioned how important it would be, since the only player to have played there is Manaé Feleu, who was born in Futuna in Polynesia, and stopped off in NZ before settling in Grenoble.
That makes it all the more likely that England will follow their example. As I argued before, any such tour would benefit the Black Ferns infinitely more that the visitors.
The two sessions away from Marcoussis are there deliberately to get the players used to moving from one unfamiliar location to another, vital for what they can expect in New Zealand.
Now we can wait to see how long England take to come up with a similar statement.
