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France head coach Brunel in line for criticism after a series of big calls for New Zealand tour

By Ben Spratt
France captain Guilhem Guirado. Photo / Getty Images

France have rested captain Guilhem Guirado for their tour of New Zealand, while Teddy Thomas has been handed an international recall.

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Jacques Brunel’s side will play the All Blacks over three Tests in June, but they will do so without skipper Guirado. Mathieu Bastareaud is reportedly set to step into the role during his absence.

The choice of Bastareaud may raise eyebrows, the centre was suspended for three weeks in January  after verbally abusing the Benetton Rugby flanker, Sebastian Negri Da Oleggio during his club’s Champions Cup, Round 5 match against Benetton Rugby at Stade Félix Mayol.

The ref mic picked up Bastareaud calling Negri a ‘f***ing f****t’, which caused a storm of criticism for the player. Bastareaud missed France’s opening two Six Nations matches, but returned to the side for their match with Italy.

Thomas will be involved, winning back his place in the squad after his fine form in a France shirt was offset by a controversial night out after the Six Nations clash against Scotland.

Anthony Belleau, Felix Lambey, Remi Lamerat and Alexandre Lapandry have also been recalled, having been dropped after the defeat in Edinburgh.

Continue reading below…

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Thomas is joined in the squad by centre Wesley Fofana, who has struggled with injury over the last 18 months, and his Clermont Auvergne team-mate Morgan Parra.

“This is the ideal opportunity for us to make a final review of the squad and to see new players join the France squad before this pre-World Cup season begins,” Brunel said.

France squad:

Forwards: Uini Atonio (La Rochelle), Mathieu Babillot (Castres), Cyril Baille (Toulouse), Eddy Ben Arous (Racing 92), Pierre Bougarit (La Rochelle), Camille Chat (Racing 92), Paul Gabrillagues (Stade Francais), Kelian Galletier (Montpellier), Cedate Gomes Sa (Racing 92), Kevin Gourdon (La Rochelle), Felix Lambey (Lyon), Alexandre Lapandry (Clermont Auvergne), Bernard Le Roux (Racing 92), Yoann Maestri (Toulouse), Adrien Pelissie (Bordeaux-Begles), Dany Priso (La Rochelle), Fabien Sanconnie (Brive), Rabah Slimani (Clermont Auvergne).

Backs: Mathieu Bastareaud (Toulon), Anthony Belleau (Toulon), Hugo Bonneval (Toulon), Geoffrey Doumayrou (La Rochelle), Benjamin Fall (Montpellier), Gael Fickou (Toulouse), Wesley Fofana (Clermont Auvergne), Remy Grosso (Clermont Auvergne), Remi Lamerat (Clermont Auvergne), Maxime Medard (Toulouse), Morgan Parra (Clermont Auvergne), Jules Plisson (Stade Francais), Baptiste Serin (Bordeaux-Begles), Teddy Thomas (Racing 92).

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Sam T 1 hours ago
Jake White: Let me clear up some things

I remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.

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Ed the Duck 8 hours ago
How Leinster neutralised 'long-in-the-tooth' La Rochelle

Hey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂

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