Maxime Lamothe and Giorgi Beria join the Blues to play New Zealand

Hooker Maxime Lamothe and prop Giorgi Beria have joined the group of 42 players to prepare for the second autumn test match against New Zealand, the French Rugby Federation announced on Wednesday. The Union Bordeaux-Bègles hooker and the left pillar of Perpignan are both novices in Blue, even if Lamothe was called up several times in gatherings of the France team, during the tournament and then this fall.

Beria, aged 25, took part in the South American tour this summer but did not win a cap, only playing the match against Uruguay (43-28), which did not count as a selection. Earlier in the week, wingers Damian Penaud (illness) and Théo Attissogbe (sprained knee) both withdrew from the match against the All Blacks on Saturday.

Right pillar Uini Atonio, injured in a calf and who had already had to give up participating in the large victory against Japan (52-12) for the first test match, should also miss the second test. Atonio faced “small relapses” of his calf injury, Blues assistant coach William Servat announced on Tuesday, for whom the experienced right pillar (34 years old, 62 caps) “will most certainly only be able to apply for the next week” against Argentina. Tevita Tatafu could therefore experience his second selection against New Zealand.