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Demba Bamba gets France re-call after unlucky 142kg giant withdrawn
By Ian Cameron
Demba Bamba has been added to the France squad after Tevita Tatafu was ruled out of Saturday’s Six Nations trip to Scotland.
The FFR confirmed Tatafu’s withdrawal ahead of the match at Murrayfield but did not specify the reason for his absence.
Head coach Fabien Galthié has turned to Racing 92 tighthead Bamba as cover.
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The desperately unlucky Tatafu had been called up on Friday as part of a 42-man training group preparing for the Edinburgh fixture.
The 23-year-old has endured a stop-start campaign and had played just 53 minutes of Top 14 rugby this season prior to the weekend, following his return from injury.
Handed his first start of the season for Bayonne away to Clermont on Saturday, the 142kg prop was forced off after 32 minutes before returning for the closing stages of the 38-15 defeat.
He featured for 26 minutes against Castres in round 15 and 31 minutes against Racing 92 in round 17.
It marked another frustrating chapter in a season disrupted by injury. Tatafu missed the entire start of the campaign due to an ankle problem sustained in a pre-season fixture against Stade Toulousain and was absent throughout the Autumn Nations Series.
He was recalled by Galthié in January to the enlarged Six Nations training squad but has yet to feature in the championship. Tatafu had already withdrawn from the group prior to the round three win over Italy in Villeneuve-d’Ascq.
Bamba, 27, brings 29 caps’ worth of experience. He played in one of France’s three Tests during last summer’s tour of New Zealand and has re-established himself at club level after his own injury-hit spell last season.
The Racing 92 prop has started 11 of his 19 appearances in the current campaign and will now compete with Dorian Aldegheri and Georges-Henri Colombe for selection at tighthead as France chase a fourth successive Six Nations victory on the trot.
UPDATED 42-MAN FRANCE SQUAD:
FORWARDS
Dorian Aldegheri (Stade Toulousain)
Hugo Auradou (Section Paloise)
Paul Boudehent (Stade Rochelais)
Joshua Brennan (Stade Toulousain)
Demba Bamba (Racing 92)
Georges-Henri Colombe (Stade Toulousain)
François Cros (Stade Toulousain)
Thibaud Flament (Stade Toulousain)
Jean-Baptiste Gros (RC Toulon)
Mickaël Guillard (Lyon OU Rugby)
Oscar Jegou (Stade Rochelais)
Anthony Jelonch (Stade Toulousain)
Thomas Laclayat (Section Paloise)
Maxime Lamothe (Union Bordeaux Bègles)
Julien Marchand (Stade Toulousain)
Temo Matiu (Union Bordeaux Bègles)
Peato Mauvaka (Stade Toulousain)
Emmanuel Meafou (Stade Toulousain)
Rodrigue Neti (Stade Toulousain)
Lenni Nouchi (Montpellier Hérault Rugby)
Charles Ollivon (RC Toulon)
Dany Priso (RC Toulon)
Alexandre Roumat (Stade Toulousain)
Thomas Staniforth (Castres Olympique)
BACKS:
Grégoire Arfeuil (Section Paloise)
Théo Attissogbe (Section Paloise)
Pierre-Louis Barassi (Stade Toulousain)
Léo Barré (Stade Français)
Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Union Bordeaux Bègles)
Fabien Brau-Boirie (Section Paloise)
Nicolas Depoortere (Union Bordeaux Bègles)
Gaël Dréan (RC Toulon)
Antoine Dupont (Stade Toulousain)
Émilien Gailleton (Section Paloise)
Kalvin Gourgues (Stade Toulousain)
Matthieu Jalibert (Union Bordeaux Bègles)
Nolann Le Garrec (Stade Rochelais)
Yoram Moefana (Union Bordeaux Bègles)
Thomas Ramos (Stade Toulousain)
Baptiste Serin (RC Toulon)
Ugo Seunes (Racing 92)
Gabin Villière (RC Toulon)
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