Injuries rack up for France in one area of the field

France are set to be without the three centres which featured in the 36-14 victory over Ireland in round one of the Guinness Six Nations for their clash with Wales this Sunday.

After injuring his ankle after coming on as a substitute at the Stade de France, Toulouse’s 20-year-old centre Kalvin Gourgues was not included in France’s 42-man squad at the beginning of the week that will prepare for their trip to Cardiff.

Now the starting duo of Yoram Moefana and Nicolas Depoortere appear to be out of the contest.

Gourgues had replaced Moefana after 50 minutes in Paris after the Bordeaux-Begles inside centre picked up a knee injury. While French assistant coach Patrick Arlettaz downplayed the severity of the injury this week, it could cast his chances of featuring this weekend into doubt.

“Yoram Moefana took a little knock to the knee. It’s not too serious,” he said.

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He went on to explain that Depoortere has also been struggling this week, saying: “Nicolas Depoortere felt some muscle soreness after the weight training. We’re resting both of them. The match left its mark. So there’s a need to recover a bit more.”

Multiple sources across France have since revealed that Depoortere has sustained a calf injury, which will rule him out of the next two rounds in the Six Nations against Wales and Italy.

With the Bordeaux midfield duo injured, it has been widely reported that the Pau pair of Fabien Brau-Boirie and Emilien Gailleton will start at the Principality Stadium.

Should the reports be true, the 20-year-old Brau-Boirie will earn his first cap, while the 22-year-old Gailleton will earn his 12th cap.

France will be taking on a Wales side that have lost their last 12 Six Nations matches, and began this campaign with a 48-7 defeat to England at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.