France rugby coach Galthié faces selection dilemma ahead of new season

France head coach Fabien Galthié is assessing his XV squad after a successful summer tour, despite the presence of star players Antoine Dupont, Louis Bielle‑Biarrey and Thomas Ramos. He must decide which backs and forwards to retain, with Jean‑Baptiste Gros, Thibaud Flament and Charles Ollivon likely to start, while other candidates such as Emmanuel Meafou, Yoram Moefana, Théo Attissogbe, Fabien Brau‑Boirie, Oscar Jégou, Maxime Lamothe, Marko Gazzotti, Maxime Lucu and the Ntamack‑Jalibert pairing remain under consideration.

Galthié emphasized the need for both Dupont and Ramos, stating: “Ce que je trouve bien, c’est que les deux joueurs ont gagné des compétitions avec les Bleus. Ils ont donc une forme de légitimité. On a besoin des deux.” The selection debate continues as the French team prepares for the upcoming Top 14 season.