Frog Squad

[Gagger]

From the Telegraph

Injuries hit French Aussie tour squad


May 26, 2009 06:30am

THE French rugby squad to play Tests next month in New Zealand and Australia has been badly hit by injuries with three experienced players pulling out with injuries.

First to withdraw was scrum-half Morgan Parra who injured his left shoulder playing for Bourgoin against Northampton in the European Challenge Cup final on Saturday.

He was replaced by former first choice No.9 Dimitri Yachvili of Biarritz.

On Monday both lock and captain Lionel Nallet and back rower Imanol Harinordoquy joined him on the sidelines, the former with bruised ribs and the latter with a painful shoulder.

They were replaced by Remy Martin of Bayonne and Damien Chouly of Perpignan.

In Nallet's absence, Toulouse flanker Thierry Dusautoir was named as captain.

The French play two Tests against the All Blacks in Dunedin on June 13 and Wellington on June 20 and one Test against the Wallabies in Sydney on June 27.

Revised France squad:-

Forwards (16): Fabien Barcella (Biarritz), Thomas Domingo (Clermont), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Franais), Guilhem Guirado (Perpignan), William Servat (Stade Toulousain), Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Franais), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Damien Chouly (Perpignan), Sebastien Chabal (Sale/ENG), Romain Millo-Chluski (Stade Toulousain), Pascal Pape (Stade Franais), Louis Picamoles (Montpellier), Remy Martin (Bayonne), Julien Bonnaire (Clermont), Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse, capt)

Backs (14): Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), Julien Dupuy (Leicester/ENG), David Skrela (Toulouse), Franois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Maxime Mermoz (Perpignan), Yannick Jauzion (Toulouse), Florian Fritz (Toulouse), Mathieu Bastareaud (Stade Franais), Alexis Palisson (Brive), Damien Traille (Biarritz), Aurelien Rougerie (Clermont), Cedric Heymans (Toulouse), Vincent Clerc (Toulouse), Maxime Medard (Toulouse)

There's a very good team in there

 

[Spook]

They've gained a better scrum half.

 

[Scarfman]

That Bastareaud sounds like a hard man ...

 

[Biffo]

There will be more withdrawals.

 

[Lee Grant]

That Bastareaud sounds like a hard man ...

;D ;D

Actually, you're not kidding. He plays 12 for Link McKenzie's Paris team Stade Francais and is a 110kg version of Ma'a Nonu. Talk about hard to stop. I first saw him in the IRB U20 tournament last year in which he was dynamite. He's very raw and won't be in the starting test team, but watch this space.

This French team will be a level up from the team that played here last year because the players from the 4 clubs in the Top 14 semis weren't available for Les Bleus then. On the other hand I was surprised that Traille made the team - he had a crap year if the games I saw Biarritz play were an indicator of the whole season.

I think we will beat this lot as they don't usually tour very well in the SH; so long as we get somebody to whack Jauzion across the kneecaps with a baseball bat as he gets off the team bus. The lad can play. And we'll need some pace in the back three to counter some of the flyers they have.