Bordeaux Bègles’ biggest stars are set to miss France’s Nations Championship opener against the All Blacks despite the club failing to qualify for the Top 14 playoffs.
The back-to-back Investec Champions Cup winners suffered a 34-31 home loss to Clermont to finish eighth in the domestic standings.
That fuelled speculation that several leading France internationals could now be available for national duty.
But Sud Ouest reports that Bordeaux-Bègles flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert and winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey will still not be included in France coach Fabien Galthié’s squad for the All Blacks match in Christchurch on 4 July.
Bielle-Biarrey played 31 matches and logged more than 2,200 minutes this season, while Jalibert featured in 27 games.
The electric Bielle-Biarrey, twice named Six Nations Player of the Championship, is also understood to have opted for a summer break.
However, Bordeaux scrumhalf Maxime Lucu and centre Yoram Moefana could still be selected, while experienced loosehead prop Jefferson Poirot is open to coming out of international retirement to bolster the squad.
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France’s situation could be compounded if Toulouse reach the Top 14 final, potentially ruling out the likes of Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, François Cros and Anthony Jelonch.
This raises the spectre of another understrength Les Bleus side travelling to New Zealand, a year after a similarly depowered France suffered a 3-0 series loss.
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
The post Bordeaux duo won’t face All Blacks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Bordeaux Bègles’ biggest stars are set to miss France’s Nations Championship opener against the All Blacks despite the club failing to qualify for the Top 14 playoffs.
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