Following the announcement of Fabien Galthie’s France squad for the 2025 Six Nations opener against Wales, we pick out our winners and losers.
Winners
Fabien Galthie
Is there a team on the planet with the squad depth that France have, perhaps only the Springboks and this is clearly evident when one considers the sheer class that Les Bleus boast in their matchday 23 in spite of their injuries.
The list is rather extensive from the all-round world-class Charles Ollivon to tough Reda Wardi to defence mastermind Gael Fickou to the brilliantly outrageous Damian Penaud and that’s before one considers those who have simply just not been picked in the squad let alone this matchday 23. Few, if any, nations could leave a player of Baptiste Serin’s stature out of their entire squad without being negatively impacted and for France, it’s expected.
This is the luxurious position that Galthie is in as no other coach in world rugby could select a squad from 30 professional home teams and the occasional one from abroad – ala Rabah Slimani at Leinster.
Adding to this is the fact that right now, France have arguably their goldest of golden generations led by probably their greatest ever player. There is the pressure that comes with that as this year, anything but the title should be regarded as a failure but any coach worth their salt would be salivating with his squad, starting XV and matchday 23.
Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou
Still, despite having 30 professional teams on home soil and well over 600 players to choose from, Galthie has still backed two players that hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2024.
Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou have both been backed to make an impact off the bench against Wales by the Les Bleus boss to the complete dismay of many fans. This after they were accused of the aggravated rape of a woman while on tour with France to Argentina last July.
The charges have since been dropped by the Argentine courts but fanatics have long memories and to many, their swift returns to the squad have been met with outrage.
Luckily for the young forward duo, Galthie does not agree with the fans and has accepted the court’s verdict – something not all head coaches would have done especially as quickly as this.
Argentine court hand down verdict in case against France players accused of rape
Théo Attissogbe
Théo Attissogbe was a rather unknown entity 12 months ago but he has taken the opportunities that have come his way. Galthie has not been shy to give youth a chance since taking on the head coaching job in 2020 and players like Attissogbe have repaid the faith as he crossed for tries in his opening two Tests against Argentina and impressed in his third against Japan.
With Penaud ruled out, the Pau 20-year-old now gets the chance to make his Six Nations debut.
Romain Ntamack
It’s been a long road back to the Les Bleus jersey for Romain Ntamack who earns his first cap since the Rugby World Cup warm-up match against Scotland. It was a heart-breaking hammer blow for the fly-half who suffered a knee injury that not only curtailed his involvement in the home World Cup but kept him sidelined for six months.
Upon his return, he helped Toulouse win the Investec Champions Cup and Top 14 double in 2024 but failed to play for his country again due to another setback.
But the determined playmaker is now finally back after displaying extreme reliance to get back to his best. With France equipped with their ideal 9-10 combination in Antoine Dupont and Ntamack, they are an even fiercer unit and with Wales expected to finish bottom of the table again, Friday’s opener could get rather ugly with the duo hitting their stride.
Pierre-Louis Barassi
One man’s loss is another man’s gain. Gael Fickou’s absence in the French midfield is still bound to be a huge blow but highly-rated Toulouse man Pierre-Louis Barassi has been in sensational nick for the French giants and gets the nod to fill the veteran’s void.
Barassi has been tipped for bright things for a long time now and made his debut back in 2019 for his country, however, he has never locked down a regular spot in the squad little alone the matchday 23. He now has the perfect opportunity to do just that though with Fickou missing the opening rounds of the Six Nations and Barassi being in arguably career-best form at club level.
He gets the nod ahead of the likes of Nicolas Depoortere and Émilien Gailleton who were seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order in 2024 but Galthie is never shy to back the form option.
Nolann Le Garrec
Barassi can look to Nolann Le Garrec for inspiration this campaign after the Racing 92 man locked down his role in the matchday 23 through his performances in the 2024 Six Nations.
Galthie could probably pick any scrum-half from one of the Top 14 clubs to be Dupont’s back up and they would be more than capable and keep the French captain on his toes but right now that man is Le Garrec having usurped Maxime Lucu.
There is a possibility that Le Garrec could become the next Chris Whitaker – who spent most of his Test career in George Gregan’s shadow – but last year he showed that he is far more than just a supporting act.
Losers
Rabah Slimani
It was just too good to be true. Not all sporting tales get the Cinderella treatment and for now, Rabah Slimani’s is one of them. Clermont let the veteran prop’s contract expire at the end of the season expecting him to hang up the boots but no, the tighthead was not done just yet as he inked a one-year deal with Leinster.
He has shone for the Irish province since his arrival and the French coaching ticket took note of that as Slimani earned a recall to the squad for the first time since 2019. He might not be pulling on the jersey in the opening round but perhaps there is still another chapter in his glass slipper tale.
Esteban Abadie and Lenni Nouchi
There is just too much depth in the French back-row that even with the injuries to Ollivon and Jelonch and the shift of Alexandre Roumat to the second-row, that Esteban Abadie and Lenni Nouchi still can’t get a look into the matchday 23.
Abadie caught the eye with his performances for Brive two seasons ago and has continued in that vein with Toulon ever since constantly pressing for a place in the French squad. He would have fancied his chances following Ollivon’s injury in particular but it was not to be and the same is true for rising Montpellier star Nouchi.
Damian Penuad
Everyone but Wales and their fans will be disappointed at the fact that Damian Penaud will not be returning to the Les Bleus jersey this week. The Bordeaux star has been otherworldy for his club in recent weeks and comfortably leads the Investec Champions Cup try scoring charts after scoring SIX against the Sharks.
Penaud is simply box office and the kind of player that thrives in the biggest games likes the Six Nations.
Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert
Sticking with the Bordeaux charges and Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert have been consistent picks for Galthie for an extended period of time.
However, there was a notable shift in those selections last year and that theme has only gathered pace in 2025. Sure, Jalibert requesting to leave the group after not being selected the starting XV against the All Blacks will still be at the back of Galthie’s mind when picking his team but their omissions are more likely down to the set-up of the team.
Frankly put, neither were going to start ahead of Dupont or Ntamack when both are fit while the choice of a 6-2 split only further hurts their chances.
Jalibert does offer cover at full-back if Ramos were to go down but that is already covered by the two starting wingers and potentially Ntamack while you wouldn’t put it past Dupont either. The two starting half-backs are also the only other cover in the starting XV for the centre roles so one of the bench spots had to go to a player that could cover the wing and the midfield. While fly-half is more than covered by three of the starters and potentially the replacement scrum-half
A replacement scrum-half is needed even if Dupont will play 80 minutes, which he is bound to do anyway, so it was a straight shoot-out between Lucu and Le Garrec and the latter has been in the better form in the blue jersey.
Nicolas Depoortere and Émilien Gailleton
Returning to the conversation filling Fickou’s void and had the star midfielder gone down in November then one would not be blamed in thinking that one of Nicolas Depoortere or Émilien Gailleton would be one of the starting centres if not both. However, that has not turned out to be the case with Galthie preferring Yoram Moefana and Barassi.
Gailleton got the nod against Japan last year and still finds a place on the bench but it does seem like he has slipped down the pecking order for Galthie since then while Depoortere continues to be there and thereabouts without getting much of a real look in.
Injuries
We have covered the injuries extensively throughout but it is a real shame that France have been robbed of some of their best and brightest stars this Six Nations and not through any doing of their own.
The likes of Fickou, Flament, Jelonch and Ollivon would be clear starters this week if fit and we well see the former pair later in the tournament but we want to see the best of the best in the championship and right now France missing some of theirs. Still, they have strength in depth to really give the Grand Slam a real crack.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/france-team-winners-and-losers-fabien-galthie-ignores-fans-outrage-with-controversial-pair-after-being-robbed-of-top-talents-but-fierce-dupont-ntamack-reunite
