France's rugby squad named for November matches

Fabien Galthié, the head coach of the French rugby team, has named a squad of 42 players for the upcoming November matches in the Nations Championship. This selection comes after several key players suffered injuries, which forced Galthié to make adjustments to the team.

Grégory Alldritt's inclusion

Grégory Alldritt, a third-line center from La Rochelle, has been included in the squad despite not playing with the national team since November 2025. He will serve as captain in the absence of Antoine Dupont and aims to participate in the second part of the Nations Championship, which includes a match against South Africa on November 13.

Alldritt's recent performance

Alldritt has had less successful performances during Galthié's second term, particularly in areas where he is usually strong, such as driving forward and advancing the ball. He has played five matches this season and delivered acceptable performances, though not outstanding, in a team that has been performing well overall.

Gaël Fickou's absence

Gaël Fickou, a center with 98 selections for France, is still not in the squad despite changing clubs from Racing 92 to Toulon during the off-season to relaunch his career. His last match also dates back to November 2025.

Injuries affecting the team

The French team has been weakened by a series of injuries that affected a third of the starting players during the 2026 Tournament, which France won. Players such as Julien Marchand, Thibaud Flament, Emmanuel Meafou, Thomas Ramos, and Matthieu Jalibert have all been injured at the start of the season.

New additions to the squad

Fabien Galthié has continued his squad review by including Karl Sorin, a 22-year-old center from La Rochelais, and also brought in Tani Vili and Jeremy Ward, both from Stade Français. However, Ward will not be eligible to play for France before next year, just before the Australian World Cup.

Upcoming schedule and training

The selected players will have another day of Top 14 matches to play this weekend before their first week of training camp at Marcoussis. The schedule for November is packed, with four matches planned as part of the Nations Championship.

The 42-player squad list

The 42-player squad includes forwards such as Grégory Alldritt, Hugo Auradou, Paul Boudehent, and others, as well as backs like Théo Attissogbe, Léo Barré, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, and others. The complete list of players is provided in the report.