French pick squad as Six Nations gets the OK
JAMES
French rugby authorities seem confident the 2021 Six Nations will go ahead as scheduled despite public concerns – and new coronavirus restrictions – from the government. For now. So far, Les Bleus’ opening match against Italy in Rome on February 6 is the only one to get the green light from the country’s Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu, amid alarm over coronavirus.
“We keep the first match,” Maracineanu said on Tuesday. “On the other hand, against Ireland and England, we absolutely need to have the necessary guarantees from these countries.
“There has to be proof that the other nations’ virus framework respects the same requirements in terms of precaution. We expect the same thing from the other teams.”
Those were the same concerns that, a day earlier, prompted the suspension and later cancellation of the third and fourth pool-phase matches in the Champions and Challenge Cups.
On Thursday, the French government moved the start of the national nightly curfew forward from 8pm to 6pm in a bid to keep a lid on rising Covid-19 cases – despite confirming the country had escaped the Christmas period relatively unscathed, compared to the UK and Ireland, courtesy in part of the early adoption of strict rules over Christmas.
And Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that – from tomorrow – anyone from non-EU countries, which includes the UK, now needs to provide a negative PCR test before travelling to France, which takes up to 72 hours to come through. On arrival, they will still have to isolate for seven days and have another negative PCR test.
Maybe it’s because the FFR have just backed CVC’s investment in the Six Nations, but these new restrictions are being brushed off by the union’s heirarchy. On Friday, the organisation’s vice-president, Serge Simon told Le Figaro: “The Six Nations tournament will take place as planned ...that is to say on the dates and in the venues planned.”
He said an updated version of the Autumn International protocols will be in place. “It has proved to be effective but we will improve and strengthen it due to the contagiousness of the British variant.”
He went on: “Without prejudging government decisions, I have the impression that, under these conditions of control, playing these matches will not pose any problems. If the authorities say otherwise, we will, of course, comply. But, in the current discussions, we are optimistic that the tournament will take place as planned.”
And, on Monday, hours later than
because of the rugby media feeding frenzy over the late changes to the European rugby calendar, Fabien Galthie named 37 players for the first training camp of 2021, in Nice, starting on January 25. Five others – including U20 world championship-winning scrum-half Leo Coly, of ProD2 side Mont de Marsan – have been invited to join the camp.
There were no major surprises on Galthie’s list. Three uncapped players – Racing duo Donovan Taofifenua and Georges-Henri Colombe, and Stade Francais centre Julien Delbouis – have been called up, along with Hassane Kolingar, Pierre Bourgarit, Baptiste Pesenti, Anthony Jelonch, Gabin Villière and Brice Dulin who had impressed in the Autumn Nations Cup; and Damian Penaud has returned after injuries had ruled him out of all but one international last year.
Unlike the Premiership, the Top 14 wasted no time plugging at least some of the European Cup gaps. It has scheduled four Covid catch-up games this weekend, moved a full weekend of matches planned for March to next weekend, and added four games to the blank domestic professional roster for the opening Six Nations weekend.
There is likely to be at least one interested spectator at Montpellier’s GGL Stadium for this afternoon’s bottom-of-the-table clash against Castres – new Montpellier signing Gabriel Ibitoye.
On Friday afternoon, the club finally confirmed what had long been reported when they announced the player had signed from relegation-elect outfit Agen on a short-term medical joker contract.
Ibitoye’s new side, currently in the top-flight’s survival play-off spot, desperately need a win.
They also need his try-scoring instincts, as they have scored only one try in the Top 14 since midway through the final game of Novemscheduled ber– and that was last week as they raced into a 19-0 lead at Brive, only to lose 23-22 to a late try from the determined hosts.
Former Australia coach Michael Cheika may well also take an interest, too. Reports resurfaced this weekend that he is the hot favourite to take over as head coach in June, with Philippe Saint-Andre set to return to his suited-and-booted sporting director role.
A shortened domestic top-flight rugby weekend had opened with Bordeaux v Clermont yesterday afternoon, where both sides were chasing a top-six slot.
After a lively opening, it turned into a match that didn’t live up to expectations. Damian Penaud’s try would have been worth the entrance fee had there been a crowd, but it was an isolated moment of excitement in a game of dull halves. And it was entirely appropriate that the final score – 16-16 – was as flat as the performance.
“The Top 14 wasted no time plugging at least some of the European Cup gaps”