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Anthony Jelonch withdraws from France squad with veteran called up

France's number eight Gregory Alldritt (L) and France's flanker Anthony Jelonch (C) applauds the crowd after the France 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final match between France and South Africa at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris, on October 15, 2023. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP) (Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Toulouse back-row Anthony Jelonch has withdrawn from the France squad with less than two weeks to go until they get their Guinness Six Nations campaign underway against Wales in Paris.

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France have given no indication as to why the 28-year-old will not join the 42-player squad at their Marcoussis base. The announcement comes a day after Jelonch started for the reigning Investec Champions Cup winners in their 80-12 dismantling of Leicester Tigers at the Stade Ernest-Wallon, playing every minute of the victory.

Jelonch has been replaced in Fabien Galthie’s squad by Racing 92 lock Romain Taofifenua in a bizarre series of events. The 53-cap lock was declared injured on Sunday due to a knee injury sustained against the Stormers in the Champions Cup, and was replaced by Lyon’s Mickaël Guillard. His absence was shortlived, however, with the 34-year-old coming in to replace Jelonch.

An injury would be another cruel twist in a luckless couple of years for the Toulouse star, who has suffered two serious ACL injuries since 2023.

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Just weeks after returning from his second ACL injury, Jelonch was included in France’s squad for the Autumn Nations Series, but did not feature as Les Bleus registered wins over Japan, the All Blacks and Argentina.

Galthie’s side will provide the curtain raiser for this year’s Championship when they host Wales at the Stade de France, with a trip to Twickenham to face England in round two.

Updated France Six Nations squad:
Forwards
Esteban Abadie
Dorian Aldegheri
Gregory Alldritt
Uini Atonio
Hugo Auradou
Cyril Baille
Giorgi Beria
Paul Boudehent
Joshua Brennan
Georges-Henri Colombe
Francois Cros
Thibaud Flament
Marko Gazzotti
Jean-Baptiste Gros
Mickael Guillard
Matthias Halagahu
Oscar Jegou
Maxime Lamothe
Julien Marchand
Peato Mauvaka
Emmanuel Meafou
Dany Priso
Rabah Slimani
Romain Taofifenua

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Backs
Theo Attissogbe
Pierre-Louis Barassi
Leo Barre
Louis Bielle-Biarrey
Nicolas Depoortere
Gael Drean
Antoine Dupont
Antoine Frisch
Emilien Gailleton
Mattieu Jalibert
Nolann Le Garrec
Maxime Lucu
Yoram Moefana
Noah Nene
Romain Ntamack
Damian Penaud
Thomas Ramos
Gabin Villiere

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Comments

2 Comments
M
Mark 63 days ago

Now that is what you call a squad!!

J
Jonathan Henault 62 days ago

Does not make a victory, but yes, when your saw half of them playing this weekend, smells like... Challenging?

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reginaldgarcia 24 minutes ago
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JW 1 hour ago
Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

MP are a NZ side through and through, NZ is even having to pay for it.

Yes they caved to public demand, I bet it accomplished a lot of internal goals. They could have left it to the other groups, but I’m of the belief that they weren’t showing the capability to make it work as being a good reason for NZR to jump in and do it. I think it’s actually funded 50/50 between NZR and WR though.

(when nothing was stopping a pi player playing for any side in Super Rugby)

Neither is that fact true. Only 3 non NZ players are allowed in each squad.


I see you also need to learn what the term poach means - take or acquire in an unfair or clandestine way. - Moana have more slots for non eligible players (and you have seen many return to an NZ franchise) so players are largely making their own choice without any outside coercion ala Julian Savea.

Not one of these Kiwis and Aussies would go live in the Islands to satisfy any criteria, and I’d say most of them have hardly ever set foot in the islands, outside of a holiday.

Another inaccurate statement. Take Mo’unga’s nephew Armstrong-Ravula, if he is not eligible via ancestry in a couple of generations time, he will be eligible because he plays his rugby there (even if he’s only their for rugby and not living there), that is a recent change made by World Rugby to better reflect examples like Fabian Holland and Fakatava.

It’s becoming the jump-ship/zero loyalty joke that international League is.

Look I understand you’re reason to cry and make an example at any opportunity, but you don’t really need to anymore, other recent changes made by WR are basically going to stop the Ireland situation, and time (perhaps no more than a decade) will fix the rest.

26 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ 'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.' 'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'
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