XV of France: two MHR players, 22 rookies… who are the 42 players called by the staff for the tour in Argentina ?

Vincent, Nouchi, Jaminet et Serin font partie des 42 sélectionnés. Maxppp et Giacomo Italiano

Le staff du XV de France a annoncé dimanche 23 juin la liste définitive des 42 joueurs sélectionnés pour la tournée en Argentine, dans laquelle onze demi-finalistes du Top14 rejoignent deux joueurs du MHR et 22 néophytes.

Eleven players from La Rochelle and Stade Français, eliminated in the semi-finals of the Top 14, have joined the French XV squad that will leave for Argentina for the summer tour, the French Rugby Federation (FFR) announced in a press release on Sunday.

Parisians Léo Barré, Pierre-Henri Azagoh, Romain Briatte, Lester Etien and Baptiste Pesenti learned the news the day after their defeat against Bordeaux-Bègles (22-20). They will meet up with Rochelais Judicaël Cancoriet, Georges-Henri Colombe, Oscar Jegou, Jules Favre, Antoine Hastoy and Simeli Daunivucu in Marcoussis, eliminated on Friday by Toulouse (39-23).

"It's nice but I'm going to have to change very quickly because, for the moment, the defeat is really bitter, Jegou had commented after the defeat. I'm going to switch and tackle, perhaps, my first selection in the French team […] it was one of my goals", he added.

Nouchi and Vincent will be

The eleven “disappointed” complete the group of 42 players among whom 22 have never been capped in Blue, including Montpellier captain Lenni Nouchi, Pau winger Théo Attissogbé, Racing 92 pillar Thomas Laclayat or Munster center Antoine Frisch.

Only three have more than twenty selections: Toulon pillar Jean-Baptiste Gros, Toulon scrum half Baptiste Serin and Lyon pillar Demba Bamba. Lyon scrum half Baptiste Couilloud (16 caps), Toulon fullback Melvyn Jaminet (19 caps) and Montpellier center Arthur Vincent (18 caps) are the only others with more than ten caps.

Future ex-MHR player, Louis Carbonel (5 caps) will also be there. Initially called up to prepare for this tour, Grenoble (Pro D2) pillar Régis Montagne as well as Bayonne's Mathis Perchaud and Tevita Tatafu have been sent back to their clubs while three-quarters of Usap Lucas Dubois are joining the squad.

The 42 players called up are gathered in Marcoussis until Wednesday. The French XV will then leave for South America where the French will play two tests against the Argentinian Pumas (July 6 and 13) and another against the Uruguayan Teros (July 10).

The list of 42 players selected for the French XV tour in Argentina

Hookers: Barlot (Castres, 7 selections), Baubigny (Toulon, 1 cap), Tarit (Racing 92, 0 caps) 
Pillars:Bamba (Lyon, 26 caps), Beria (Clermont, 0 caps), Colombe (La Rochelle, 2 caps), Gros (Toulon, 27 caps), Laclayat (Racing 92, caps), Taofifenua (Toulon, 7 caps)
Second rows: Auradou (Pau, 0 caps), Azagoh (Stade Français, 1 cap), Pesenti (Stade Français, 4 caps), Tuilagi (Perpignan, 3 caps), Vanverberghe (Castres, 0 caps)
Third rows: Briatte (Stade French, 0 caps), Cancoriet (La Rochelle, 4 caps), Diallo (Racing 92, 2 caps), Guillard (Toulon, 0 caps), Jegou (La Rochelle, 0 caps), Joseph (Racing 92, 0 caps), Nouchi (Montpellier, 0 caps), Peysson (Castres, 0 caps), Tixeront (Clermont, 0 caps)
Scrum-halves: Couilloud (Lyon, 16 caps), Jauneau (Clermont, 0 caps), Serin (Toulon, 44 caps)
Fly-halves : Berdeu (Lyon, 0 caps), Carbonel (Montpellier, 5 caps), Hastoy (La Rochelle, 5 caps)
Centers: Darricarrère (Clermont, 0 caps), Daunivucu (La Rochelle, 0 caps), Favre (La Rochelle, 0 caps), Frisch (Munster, 0 caps), Gailleton (Pau, 1 cap), Vincent (Montpellier, 18 caps, photo maxppp)
Wingers/backs: Attissogbé (Pau, 0 caps), Barré (Stade Français, 2 sel.), Dubois (Perpignan, 0 sel.), Etien (Stade Français, 0 sel.), Hulleu (Castres, 0 sel.), Jaminet (Toulon, 19 sel.), Jurand (Clermont, 0 sel.)