France name eight uncapped players in Six Nations squad of 42

France boss Fabien Galthie has included eight uncapped players in his squad of 42 for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations. The French go into the championship as the defending Grand Slam champions after winning all five matches in last year’s tournament and ahead of their February 5 opener away to Italy in Rome, injuries have forced a reshuffle in some areas of the squad that will assemble in Capbreton on January 22.

Cameron Woki, who tweeted earlier on Tuesday that he would miss the championship, Peato Mauvaka, Maxime Lucu, Baptiste Couilloud and Jonathan Danty are all absent through injury in a selection where the uncapped centres Emilien Gailleton and Julien Delbouis, back three trio Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Romain Buros and Ethan Dumortier, scrum-halves Leo Coly and Nolann Le Garrec, and flanker Paul Boudehent are included.

France Six Nations squad

Forwards (24)

ALLDRITT Grégory (Stade Rochelais)

ATONIO Uini (Stade Rochelais)

BAILLE Cyril (Stade Toulousain)

BARLOT Gaëtan (Castres Olympique)

BAUBIGNY Teddy (RC Toulon)

BECOGNEE Alexandre (Montpellier Hérault Rugby)

BOUDEHENT Paul (Stade Rochelais)

CAMARA Yacouba (Montpellier Hérault Rugby)

CHALUREAU Bastien (Montpellier Hérault Rugby)

CRETIN Dylan (LOU Rugby)

CROS François (Stade Toulousain)

FALATEA Sipili (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

FLAMENT Thibaud (Stade Toulousain)

HAOUAS Mohamed (Montpellier Hérault Rugby)

JELONCH Anthony (Stade Toulousain)

JOLMES Thomas (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

LAVAULT Thomas (Stade Rochelais)

MACALOU Sekou (Stade Français)

MARCHAND Julien (Stade Toulousain)

OLLIVON Charles (RC Toulon)

PRISO Dany (RC Toulon)

TAOFIFENUA Romain (LOU Rugby)

WARDI Reda (Stade Rochelais)

WILLEMSE Paul (Montpellier Hérault Rugby)

Backs (18)

BARASSI Pierre-Louis (Stade Toulousain)

BIELLE-BIARREY Louis (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

BUROS Romain (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

COLY Léo (Montpellier Hérault Rugby)

DELBOUIS Julien (Stade Français)

DUMORTIER Ethan (LOU Rugby)

DUPONT Antoine (Stade Toulousain ) – CAPTAIN

FICKOU Gaël (Racing 92)

GAILLETON Emilien (Paloise section)

HASTOY Antoine (Stade Rochelais)

JALIBERT Matthieu (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

JAMINET Melvyn (Stade Toulousain)

LE GARREC Nolann (Racing 92)

LEBEL Matthis (Stade Toulousain)

MOEFANA Yoram (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

NTAMACK Romain (Stade Toulousain)

PENAUD Damian (ASM Clermont Auvergne)

RAMOS Thomas (Stade Toulousain)