Alldritt to captain France squad including 145kg lock Meafou

Gregory Alldritt has been named as France's new captain in the absence of Antoine Dupont for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations.

With the Toulouse scrum-half set to miss the Championship as he switches his attention to rugby sevens for the Paris Olympic Games, Fabien Galthie has chosen the 45-cap No8 to replace him, who has led La Rochelle to back-to-back Investec Champions Cup victories.

The 26-year-old will lead a squad with five uncapped players, including Toulouse's 145kg lock Emmanuel Meafou, who qualified for France at the end of last year after being born in New Zealand and growing up in Australia. Antoine Gibert, Nicolas Depoortere, Esteban Abadie, and Mathias Halaghu are the other four uncapped players in the squad.

Fresh from their demolition of Gallagher Premiership champions Saracens in the Champions Cup on Sunday, Bordeaux-Begles' backline feature heavily in the squad, with Maxime Lucu, Matthieu Jalibert, Nicolas Depoortere, Yoram Moefana, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud all making the cut.

France get this year's Championship underway against Ireland in Marseille on Friday February 2.

France's 34-player squad

Forwards

ABADIE Esteban (RC Toulon)

ALDEGHERI Dorian (Stade Toulousain)

ALLDRITT Grégory (Stade Rochelais) (Capitaine)

ATONIO Uini (Stade Rochelais)

BAILLE Cyril (Stade Toulousain)

BARLOT Gaëtan (Castres Olympique)

BOUDEHENT Paul (Stade Rochelais)

CROS François (Stade Toulousain)

GABRILLAGUES Paul (Stade Français Paris)

HALAGAHU Matthias (RC Toulon)

JELONCH Anthony (Stade Toulousain)

LACLAYAT Thomas (Racing 92)

MARCHAND Julien (Stade Toulousain)

MAUVAKA Peato (Stade Toulousain)

MEAFOU Emmanuel (Stade Toulousain)

OLLIVON Charles (RC Toulon)

TAOFIFENUA Romain (LOU Rugby)

TAOFIFENUA Sébastien (LOU Rugby)

WARDI Reda (Stade Rochelais)

WOKI Cameron (Racing 92)

Backs

BIELLE-BIARREY Louis (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

DANTY Jonathan (Stade Rochelais)

DEPOORTÈRE Nicolas (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

FICKOU Gaël (Racing 92)

GAILLETON Emilien (Section Paloise)

GIBERT Antoine (Racing 92)

JALIBERT Matthieu (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

JAMINET Melvyn (RC Toulon)

LE GARREC Nolann (Racing 92)

LEBEL Matthis (Stade Toulousain)

LUCU Maxime (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

MOEFANA Yoram (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

PENAUD Damian (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)

RAMOS Thomas (Stade Toulousain)