XV of France. It’s time for choices for Fabien Galthié

CIt's almost time for the final decisions. On Wednesday January 15, Fabien Galthié should communicate the list of 42 players selected to prepare for the 2025 Six Nations Tournament. And if, in the end, surprises and novelties will undoubtedly be rare within this first expanded group, ahead of its publication, there is no shortage of topics for discussion and questions.

Is the possible reinstatement of Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, six months after the Mendoza affair, justified sportingly? Will Matthieu Jalibert accept the hierarchy of openers as Fabien Galthié thinks and continue the back and forth between Bordeaux and Marcoussis? Should the athletic twilight of Uini Atonio be prolonged indefinitely? On the same theme, should the coach continue his policy of rejuvenating the Blues or, on the contrary, cajole his thirty-year-olds?

Should the coach continue his policy of rejuvenation or, on the contrary, cajole his thirty-year-olds?

Complicities formed in the club

There are a few certainties to begin with: Charles Ollivon, victim of a probable rupture of the cruciate ligaments in his right knee on Saturday against Racing 92, will not be among them. A real blow because the Toulon third row (31 years old, 46 caps) had ended the November Tour on a very positive note against the Argentinians. He will not be the only “dad” whose absence will be detrimental. Operated on for a broken left thumb at the end of December, Gaël Fickou (30 years old, 93 caps) will miss the first two meetings of this edition against the Welsh and the English. Just like Jonathan Danty, the La Rochelle center (32 years old, 29 caps), who suffers from a knee.

This duo's package should delight Nicolas Depoortere, who is absent this fall. His collusion with Yoram Moefana, at the heart of the Union Bordeaux-Bègles attack, is an asset in his favor. And since we talk about the bonds formed in the club, the comeback of Damian Penaud, victim of a lung infection in November, is obvious. In view of his remarkable performance on Saturday against Stade Français, a new invitation should be issued to Romain Buros, the UBB fullback, especially since his rival, Parisian Léo Barré, was injured in a shoulder.

On the infirmary side, Jean-Baptiste Gros, the left pillar of Toulon, injured in the right knee against the Pumas, has still not returned to competition. On the other hand, Toulouse Cyril Baille, author of a convincing comeback against La Rochelle on Saturday, after eight months of unavailability, should logically make his return to the Blues.

Will Tevita Tatafu be there too? The right pillar of Aviron Bayonnais was one of the attractions of the November Tour. A handful of training sessions and two matches – including the very shortened second against the All Blacks – were enough to mark him as the successor to Uini Atonio. Was it premature? Victim of a serious ankle sprain against the New Zealanders, Tatafu should return to competition on January 19 in the Challenge Cup against Gloucester. If we consider the shortage of talent at the number 3 position, there would be nothing extravagant in Fabien Galthié calling on the young Tongan (22 years old) to judge his state of form. The risk is minimal within a group of 42 and does not lend itself to controversy.

These cases carry little weight in the chronicle of the XV of France, in the dynamics of the second mandate

Emulation policy

It would be surprising, however, if the presence of Matthieu Jalibert or the names of Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou left the French “rugby world” indifferent. But after the first wave of comments, these cases carry little weight in the chronicle of the XV of France, in the dynamic which drives the second mandate of Fabien Galthié.

What we will be watching closely is less the list of 42 players who will present themselves on January 19 at the gates of Marcoussis than that of the 23 elected officials who will remain at the CNR on January 22 for the opening of the tournament against Wales. It is this slimmed down selection which will tell us if Galthié intends to continue this winter the policy of emulation that he initiated in November. Will he continue to shake up his old leaders, Alldritt, Jelonch, Atonio, Taofifenua? Since this fall, a new generation, that of Boudehent, Roumat, Gazzotti, knows that the door is open. She's going to play her card to the fullest.

Is this the best way to approach this tournament that the Blues have only won once under the direction of Fabien Galthié and never in an odd year since 2007?