France head coach Fabien Galthie has named his 33-man squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
The squad features a blend of experience and youth, with Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, and Charles Ollivon all returning after playing key roles in France’s Grand Slam victory in 2022. There are also first call-ups for Paul Boudehent and Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
Boudehent is a young back-row forward who has been in impressive form for Bordeaux-Bègles, while Bielle-Biarrey is a talented winger who has been capped by France at Under-20 level.
The squad is as follows:
Forwards:
- Dorian Aldegheri (Toulouse)
- Gregory Alldritt (Bordeaux-Bègles)
- Uini Atonio (La Rochelle)
- Cyril Baille (Toulouse)
- Paul Boudehent (Bordeaux-Bègles)
- Pierre Bourgarit (La Rochelle)
- Francois Cros (Stade Toulousain)
- Sipili Falatea (Clermont Auvergne)
- Thibaud Flament (Toulouse)
- Jean-Baptiste Gros (Toulon)
- Anthony Jelonch (Castres Olympique)
- Sekou Macalou (Stade Français)
- Julien Marchand (Toulouse)
- Peato Mauvaka (Toulouse)
- Charles Ollivon (captain, Toulon)
- Romain Taofifenua (Clermont Auvergne)
- Reda Wardi (Lyon)
- Paul Willemse (Montpellier)
Backs:
- Antoine Dupont (captain, Toulouse)
- Maxime Lucu (Bordeaux-Bègles)
- Romain Ntamack (Toulouse)
- Antoine Hastoy (Pau)
- Damian Penaud (Clermont Auvergne)
- Gabin Villière (Toulon)
- Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Bordeaux-Bègles)
- Gael Fickou (Racing 92)
- Jonathan Danty (La Rochelle)
- Yoram Moefana (Bordeaux-Bègles)
- Thomas Ramos (Toulouse)
- Melvyn Jaminet (Toulon)
- Anthony Bouthier (Montpellier)
France are drawn in Pool A alongside New Zealand, Italy, Uruguay and Namibia.
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They will begin their campaign against New Zealand in Saint-Denis on September 8, 2023.
Galthie said: “We are excited to announce our squad for the Rugby World Cup. It is a talented group of players who have worked hard to earn their selection.
“We have a challenging pool but we are confident in our ability to compete and win. We are looking forward to the tournament and giving it our best.”
France are one of the favorites to win the Rugby World Cup in 2023. They have a strong squad with a good mix of experience and youth. They will be looking to go one step further than their last World Cup campaign, when they were runners-up to South Africa in 2019.
The squad features a number of experienced players who will be key to France’s chances, including Dupont, Ntamack, and Ollivon. There are also a number of exciting young players in the squad, such as Boudehent, Bielle-Biarrey, and Jaminet.
France will be hoping to make a deep run at the World Cup and challenge for the title. They have a tough pool to navigate, but they have the talent and experience to do so.
See more: Meet the Players Who Will Be Competing for Rugby World Cup Glory in France
