Wales captain Alun-Wyn Jones says he’s ready to tackle “the most French side possible” in the Six Nations opener on Friday. Jones, 31, faces France for the 12th time since his first meeting against Les Bleus in 2007. Jacques Brunel has named two sons of former internationals in Romain Ntamack and Damien Penaud in his back-line for the game at …
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Tomos Williams will make his Six Nations debut in the 2019 tournament opener against France in Paris on Friday after the scrum-half was named in coach Warren Gatland’s starting XV. He was selected ahead of Gareth Davies and will form a half-back pairing with Cardiff team-mate Gareth Anscombe. It will be 24-year-old’s seventh appearance for Wales, after he made his …
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South African-born Paul Willemse will make his debut for France in Friday’s Six Nations opener against Wales in Paris. Willemse, a 2012 junior world champion with the Baby Boks, arrived on French soil in 2014 as a 21-year-old, so fulfilling the three years of residency required by World Rugby regulations. He received his French passport in November and will become …
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France centre Wesley Fofana announced on Thursday that he will retire from international rugby after the 2019 World Cup in Japan. The 31-year-old has made 45 France appearances, scoring 15 tries, but played only once for Les Bleus in 2017 and 2018 after a succession of injury problems. “I’ll try whole-heartedly to make the World Cup, try my luck with …
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Although French rugby has recently mourned the death of four young players, the sport “is half as dangerous as 10 years ago,” Bernard Laporte, president of the French rugby federation (FFR), said on Tuesday. The former France coach was speaking at a lunch for the ‘Bien Joue’ (‘Well Played’) programme, launched in French schools after Louis Fajfrowski, 21, died following …
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Johnny Sexton’s drop goal to secure victory against France in Ireland’s opening Six Nations encounter has been voted as the most memorable sporting moment of 2018, according to the Teneo Sport and Sponsorship Index (TSSI). In a game that will live long in the memory, France missed a penalty in the 77th minute to keep Ireland’s faint hopes of a …
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France internationals Rabah Slimani and Alivereti Raka risk missing the Six Nations campaign after suffering injuries with Clermont that will sideline them for “several months”. Next year’s Six Nations campaign will prove an important stepping stone towards the World Cup, being held in Japan between September 20 and November 2. But prop Slimani and winger Raka, who both play for …
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Two more Ligue 1 games scheduled for this weekend, including the clash between Thierry Henry’s Monaco and local rivals Nice, have been postponed, the French league (LFP) said Thursday, amid fears of more violent “yellow vest” protests in France over rising living costs. The LFP said Friday evening’s game at the Stade Louis II had been called off following a …
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Former Arsenal and France winger Robert Pires retired from international football in 2004 following a dispute with then manager Raymond Domenech. During his eleven-year stint with the French side, Pires had a number of tussles with Ireland in both friendlies and qualifiers but the ex-Arsenal man was perhaps lucky enough not to be involved in the most infamous clash between the two …
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Montpellier lock forward Paul Willemse will be available to play for France in the Six Nations after announcing on Friday that his French citizenship had been confirmed this week. Pretoria-born Willemse, who won the Under-20 World Cup with the Springboks in 2012, qualifies for French citizenship through residency having left his native South Africa to play for Top 14 side …
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One of the most humiliating weeks in the history of French rugby ends with a sliver of salvation as leaders Clermont head to last season’s beaten finalists Montpellier to kickstart round 11 of the Top 14 on Saturday. It is a golden chance for the cream of the French game to show that last weekend’s horror show at the Stade …
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France coach Didier Deschamps has attacked Paris Saint-Germain’s alleged racial profiling of players as “unacceptable and intolerable”. Last week French investigative website Mediapart claimed that the Ligue 1 club’s talent scouts operated a system of racial profiling for years. The revelations prompted the French champions to launch an immediate investigation. PSG’s general manager Jean-Claude Blanc acknowledged that the practice which …
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South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus said that he was impressed by side’s attitude to claim an overtime victory against France one week on from an agonising one-point defeat to England. The Springboks beat the French on Saturday 29-26 thanks to an 85th minute try from hooker Bongi Mbonambi despite trailing by four points going into the final 30 seconds of …
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France coach Jacques Brunel admitted that he was “very annoyed” by the way his team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against South Africa in Paris. The French were leading Saturday’s one-off Test 23-9 just after half-time, following tries by captain Guilhem Guirado and Mathieu Bastareaud, and then 26-22 with a scrum in the Springbok 22 as the game …
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Antoine Griezmann hit a pair of second-half goals as France came from behind to beat Germany 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday. Toni Kroos struck a 14th-minute penalty for Germany, but Griezmann engineered a rousing fightback in the first game between the nations at the Stade de France since the November 2015 friendly that was overshadowed by a …
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French phenomenon Kylian Mbappe has handled his rise to superstar status very well, national coach Didier Deschamps said on the eve of a friendly international with their great rivals Germany. The 19-year-old from the Paris suburbs is on the front page of the current edition of American weekly magazine Time, and was one of the stars of the Russian World …
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France and Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has said that his international teammates give him the freedom to express himself and be the team’s leader. Pogba has faced criticism for failing to repeat his impressive performances at the World Cup for United, who have slumped early in the season. The subject of Pogba’s reportedly fraught relationship with United boss Jose Mourinho …
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France manager Didier Deschamps believes the outside world has the wrong image of Paul Pogba, who played a key role in leading Les Bleus to winning the World Cup. At club level, the Manchester United midfielder hasn’t lived up to expectations since his then world record £89 million ($116 million) move from Juventus in 2016, although his performances have picked …
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