Baptiste Serin and Brice Dulin included in France RWC training squad

Baptiste Serin and Brice Dulin are two of the notable inclusions in France's preliminary squad for the Rugby World Cup.

The pair have both been included in Les Bleus' 42-man training squad named by head coach Fabien Galthie on Wednesday.

Neither player has featured for France in the last two years but Toulon scrum-half Serin starred for his club in their Challenge Cup final win against Glasgow at the Aviva Stadium last month, and full-back Dulin was instrumental to La Rochelle's Champions Cup success.

The pair will now hope to make the final cut in late August, when the staff trims the squad down to 33 men for the 8 September to 28 October tournament on home soil.

Galthie has opted to leave out Toulouse's Australian-born lock Emmanuel Meafou, who has yet to be made eligible to play for France by World Rugby and sustained an injury in the French Top 14 final win against La Rochelle on Saturday.

As expected, two promising debutants were called up, with centre Emilien Gailleton and winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey named in the squad that will go into camp in Monaco on 3 July.

The World Cup hosts will face Scotland, Fiji and Australia in their warm-up games, with Galthie expected to name his final 33-man squad on 21 August before his side take on New Zealand in their Pool A opener on 8 September.

First and second in that Pool will first second/first from Ireland's Pool B in the quarter-finals.

France World Cup training squad:

Forwards: Cyril Baille (Toulouse), Jean-Baptiste Gros (Toulon), Reda Wardi (La Rochelle), Pierre Bourgarit (La Rochelle), Julien Marchand (Toulouse), Peato Mauvaka (Toulouse), Uini Atonio (La Rochelle), Dorian Aldegheri (Toulouse), Thomas Laclayat (Racing), Demba Bamba (Lyon), Bastien Chalureau (Montpellier),