Two changes for title-chasing France but 7-1 bench tactic retained

Either the criteria need to change - Guillard and NLG both exceed the number of games - or they need to be enforced during the Top 14 season. so you have room to pick a decent Test-worthy squad in July.

For goodness sakes, you’re picking the Leinster third string THP as your starter against the All Blacks [Rabah Slimani]! It’s nuts.

And FYI the centres are all good [prob the best part of the team] but they are all really 13’s, not 12’s. Shambles.

I won’t watch TV or rugby at 9 AM and would know the result before having any chance to catch a game replay on canal plus. I also don’t get the hype of having to play three times in a row the same team.

But they are not acting with a measure of respect to the international game, and the player welfare issue is their chosen smokescreen.

If the Top 14’s primary concern is for player welfare it could start by considering shortening a 10-11 month long season.

And it is entirely within its power to insist on the welfare program leaving enough room for a tour as important as that one to NZ. Unless it’s not important, ofc.

Gros, Aldegheri, Baille, Marchand, Meafou and Cros could all be picked but didn’t go.

The real question you’re avoiding is: ‘why not limit the players’ exposure in Top 14 to make sure they can meet the criteria to go on tour to NZ in July?’

The players who might have added value were not picked, and there was no apparent effort made to ensure a reasonable copy of the France 6N squad could tour NZ.

It is very obvious from that comparison that the French minutes over a 26-29 match domestic season, plus another five 6N games, do not greatly exceed the numbers posted by NZ players in a 16-19 match domestic season. Not by the degree expected.

That much is plain without any need to delve into the Champions Cup and November 2024 matches as well.

1. Gros 1074/24

2. Mauvaka 982/21

3. Atonio 1284/27

4. Flament 1924/30*

5. Guillard 1504/29#

6. Cros 1759/26

7. Boudehent 1678/27

8. Alldritt 1814/27*

9. Le Garrec 1960/32*#

10. Ntamack 1479/22

11. Bielle-Biarrey 2277/33*

12. Moefana 2174/30*

13. Barassi 1751/25#

14. Penaud 2045/26*

15. Ramos 2205/28*

16. Marchand J 1321/29

17. Baille 635/18

18. Aldegheri 1303/29

19. Meafou 1503/30

21. Auradou 1503/30#

20. Jegou 1142/20

21. Jelonch 1401/28

22. Lucu 2106/32*

There are five players from 23-man squad who have obv exceeded the limit of 2000 minutes and 25 games, so we can agree on LBB, Penaud, Ramos, Lucu and Moefana.

There are three others close to the line [Flament, Alldritt and NLG], one of whom is on tour [NLG].

The rest of your conclusions are nonsense.

Anyone in their right mind would have Gros, Aldegheri, Baille, Marchand, Meafou and Cros on that plane. You do not go to NZ with an average of 9 caps per player in your squad if you are serious about the tour.

All others are either injured (Mauvaka, Atonio, Boudehent, Ntamack, Jegou), overplayed with over 2,000+ minutes or already around 28-30 games for the forwards, in their 30s and out of form (Baille, Marchand); and Aldritt could be added to those two by the accumulation of heavy seasons.

The only one not being part of those categories is Gros (Toulon) wich is still 26 yo and under 25 games. He played the semi-final but might be preserved for other reason I’m not aware of - like being exhausted.

So, whatever your point was posting it, this list is only showing that all those players really need to be rested and regenerate themselves.