Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz have published the names of the 32 players to represent France in the coming Six Nations championship. They are:
Forwards
Rose Bernadou, Axelle Berthoumieu, Manon Bigot, Yllana Brosseau, Léa Champon, Célia Domain, Charlotte Escudero, Madoussou Fall Raclot, Manae Feleu, Téani Feleu, Hina Ikahehehgi, Clara Joyeux, Taina Maka, Ambre Mwayembe, Séraphine Okemba, Élisa Riffonneau, Agathe Sochat, Kiara Zago (18)
Backs
Montserrat Amédée, Kelly Arbey, Carla Arbez, Océane Bordes, Émilie Boulard, Pauline Bourdon Sansus, Morgane Bourgeois, Alexandra Chambon, Nassira Konde, Mélissande Llorens, Marine Ménager, Lina Queyroi, Lina Tuy, Gabrielle Vernier (14)
Time moves on, so there’s no Caroline Boujard or Cyrielle Banet in the backs, and more worryingly, no Romane Ménager for the No 8 slot. She’s still injured. Gaëlle Hermet, once the admired young leader, Emeline Gros and Laure Touye are also missing.
Which brings us to captaincy: the French habit at this early juncture is not to reveal who will wear the armband, so we must assume it will remain shared between one younger sister, Marine Ménager, and one elder sister, Manae Feleu. That No 8 shirt is likely to rest between Charlotte Escudero and Téani Feleu. My guess is the former.
Madoussou Fall has acquired a new name, so congratulations to her. France will be hoping she returns to top form, to lead the way for a dynamic pack.
There will be no let-up in the training schedule. The squad will assemble at INSEP, the national training centre in Paris from 10-14 March, then move back to familiar territory, Marcoussis, on the 15th. That leaves a week before their first-round match against Ireland in Belfast.
Outlook
All has not been well in the French camp across recent campaigns. Two fifth places at successive WXVs cannot be what the authorities expected, but there has been no murmur of a change in management.
There was still a marked gap between Les Bleues and the Red Roses in last year’s Six Nations: the French scored exactly half as many tries (22/44) and lagged 118 points behind. Their central aim is always to catch up on les Anglaises; the current set-up isn’t achieving that goal.
To make a realistic challenge they must first achieve parity in the pack. In the continued absence of Annaëlle Deshayes to stabilise the front row I’m not sure they can. It’s the problem facing all the Red Roses’ opponents: how to gather a bench as strong as the Fifteen sent on at the start.
The wavering between 7s and 15s remains. Both Montserrat Amédée and Séraphine Okemba have appeared in recent French 7s squads, but neither Joanna Grisez nor Chloé Jacquet figures in the new 15s selection.
There is so much talent visible in the list above that French fans must be expecting a better showing this year. If it doesn’t happen, what next? That first round game against the buoyant Irish will tell its own story.
