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France star Charles Ollivon is likely to miss the Guinness Six Nations, head coach Fabien Galthie has said.
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Ollivon suffered a serious knee injury last year but was expected to be in the running for return for the annual tournament, but it looks like it’s not to be for the back rower.
“Charles is in our list of 75 players (that are being followed), but he is on the comeback trail,” Fabien Galthie has told the French press. “He hopes to be back at the start of February. We will follow him closely and we keep in touch. There is no reason why he won’t be back in the squad in the medium term.
“In all honesty, in the short-term, I think the Six Nations will be too early for him. Let’s focus perhaps on the second half of the season. That gives him the time to avoid rushing things. You know his journey, Charles spent a long time recovering from a shoulder and shoulder blade issue that almost forced him to stop. I don’t think that a ligament injury will stop him. He is a tenacious, exemplary guy for many of us. He is strengthening mentally.”
Gatlhie is set to start the tournament with Les Blues as potential favourites.
“When I started two years ago, people would tap me on the shoulder and say ‘Good luck’. Now we hear ‘You have to win’. There is an evolution in terms of what is being said and the expectations and that is very positive. We want and can win the competitions we are engaged in, particularly the Six Nations.
“The challenge when we started was to be competitive quickly with a squad that lacked international experience. After 20 matches, we have won 70 percent, with six defeats of which five came in the final minutes. We want to keep this dynamic and continuity in the project.”
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