France axe eight players from squad after Edinburgh police questioning
France head coach Jacques Brunel has dropped eight players from his 31-man squad to face Italy in Marseille in the Natwest 6 Nations on February 23rd.
It comes after a flight delay from Edinburgh on Monday, following their defeat to Scotland last Sunday.
Five players – Anthony Belleau, Jonathan Danty, Felix Lambey, Remi Lamerat and Louis Picamoles – were questioned by police over a reported sexual assault, but police concluded that no crime had been committed.
Those five players have been omitted, as has Six Nations top try scorer Teddy Thomas, along with Alexandre Lapandry and Arthur Iturria.
In a statement the French Rugby Union said the players conduct was “inappropriate” and added “they did not respect their status as international players”.
? Voici le groupe des 31 joueurs retenus par le sélectionneur Jacques Brunel et son staff pour défier l'Italie vendredi 23 février à l'@orangevelodrome #FRAITA #soutiensleXV pic.twitter.com/rcpHaK4gfC
— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) February 13, 2018