France name injury-hit 42-man squad for November's Nations Championship games

PARIS, Oct 21 : France's 42-man squad for November's home Nations Championship fixtures against Fiji, South Africa and Argentina, announced on Wednesday, is missing a string of injured players while coach Fabien Galthie has also named a few surprises.

Eleven of the 23 players who claimed a 48–46 win over England in March to secure a second consecutive Six Nations title are not part of the squad, including flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert and fullback Thomas Ramos, both injured.

The second-row pair of Thibaud Flament and Emmanuel Meafou is also missing, as are centre Pierre-Louis Barassi, hooker Julien Marchand and tighthead prop Demba Bamba.

These absences have opened the door for surprises such as centre Jeremy Ward. The South African-born 30-year-old won't be eligible to play for France until 2027 due to residency rules but will serve as a training partner.

For his first squad announcement of the season, a year out from the 2027 World Cup, Galthie has also called up uncapped centre Tani Vili and tighthead prop Karl Sorin.

No. 8 Gregory Alldritt, left out of the Six Nations squad, returns for the first time since November 2025.

France greats Antoine Dupont and Louis Bielle-Biarrey have also been named in the squad.

France top the Nations Championship Northern Hemisphere table with 12 points after their first three matches in July.

Forwards: Gregory Alldritt, Hugo Auradou, Paul Boudehent, Joshua Brennan, Esteban Capilla, Guillaume Cramont, Francois Cros, Tyler Duguid, Sipili Falatea, Alexandre Fischer, Marko Gazzotti, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Mickael Guillard, Oscar Jegou, Maxime Lamothe, Peato Mauvaka, Charles Ollivon, Jefferson Poirot, Karl Sorin, Thomas Staniforth, Tevita Tatafu, Reda Wardi, Cameron Woki

Backs: Theo Attissogbe, Leo Barre,