Experience Added To French Squad

France coach Bernard Laporte has added 295 caps worth of players to his training squad for next Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Ireland.

…Serge Betsen on the charge during the 2005 match between Ireland and France…

France coach Bernard Laporte has added 295 caps worth of players to his training squad for next Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Ireland.

The players to come into the 28-man squad are: flankers Serge Betsen (48 caps) and Olivier Magne (83), hooker Raphael Ibanez (74), centre Damien Traille (40), winger Aurelien Rougerie (38) and lock Pascal Pape (12).

Traille is in as cover for injured centre Yannick Jauzion (fractured toe), who missed last weekend’s surprising 20-16 defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield. Ibanez, meanwhile, is the third hooker named in the squad.

Biarritz full-back Nicolas Brusque (ankle) and Toulouse scrum half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (finger) are France’s only injury worires. Elissalde dislocated a finger against Scotland, but it has since been put back into place.

Laporte names his team and replacements on Thursday.

FRANCE TRAINING SQUAD:

Backs: Nicolas Brusque (Biarritz), Aurelien Rougerie (Clermont Auvergne), Christophe Dominici (Stade Francais), Cedric Heymans (Toulouse), Guillaume Bousses (Bourgoin), Ludovic Valbon (Brive), Florian Fritz (Toulouse), Damien Traille (Biarritz), Benjamin Boyet (Bourgoin), Frederic Michalak (Toulouse), Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (Toulouse).

Forwards: Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Francais), Pieter De Villiers (Stade Francais), Olivier Milloud (Bourgoin), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Francais), Sebastien Bruno (Sale), Raphael Ibanez (Wasps), Pascal Pape (Bourgoin), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Fabien Pelous (Toulouse), Lionel Nallet (Castres), Olivier Magne (London Irish), Serge Betsen (Biarritz), Yannick Nyanga (Toulouse), Julien Bonnaire (Bourgoin), Remy Martin (Stade Francais), Thomas Lievremont (Biarritz).