New Zealand-born lock Emmanuel Meafou and flanker Anthony Jelonch will not be part of the French team when they meet Ireland in the opening game of the Six Nations Championship in Marseille on Friday week.
While the injured duo are a blow to French plans, it was the unavailable former French captain and scrumhalf Antoine Dupont, who opted to chase the Olympic dream and Sevens Rugby ahead of this year’s Championship, who filled much of the conversation.
“Anthony Jelonch, he called me last night after his MRI, anterior cruciate in the right knee,” said French coach Fabien Galthié. Neither Galthié nor captain Grégory Alldritt made it to the Dublin launch because of bad weather conditions around Storm Isha. New English captain Jamie George was another travel casualty.
“There’s a protocol with a period out with this injury. We’re really disappointed for him. He will miss us. About Emmanuel Meafou, the news from the Toulouse doctor for now, it’s a grade two knee sprain, external. [He will] be out for a long time.”
The French management, however, have known for years that Dupont, who won player of the Six Nations tournament in three out of the last four years, would not be available to them this year as France hosts the Olympic Games in July and August.
The Sevens competition will be played in Stade de France, which is being converted for that competition and the athletics centre piece, and is the reason Ireland’s opening match is being played in Marseille.
“Antoine’s idea of playing in the Olympics has been in the line for two years,” said Galthié. “A project with the FFR and his club. We’re not surprised by it. He won’t be in the [Six Nations] competition. It was planned. Maxime Lucu and Nolann Le Garrec are the two scrumhalves in the France squad. Antoine Dupont is a star of the French team, like Greg [Alldritt] and many other players are, they have obtained a notoriety.
“How the players took it [Dupont] ... it’s been shared for two years. There were other players who could have done so. Damian Penaud, but he changed clubs. There are parallels between seven-a-side rugby and 15-a-side rugby.”
The 29-28 French defeat by South Africa in the quarter-final of the World Cup in Paris hurt and the French players are still “digesting,” said Galthie. But the Six Nations has a “back to school” feel to it and bringing Ireland to Marseille, where Argentina beat Wales, South Africa defeated Tonga and France routed Namibia 96-0 during the World Cup, will be a different experience to playing the match in Paris.
“There are teams that build up during the tournament,” said the French coach. “They’re [Ireland], second in the world, even if they lost in the quarter-finals. They’ve lost one match in two years. You just have to look at their record over the two years. They’re a formidable, amazing team. We’ll open the tournament in Marseille. It has a fervour. Mediterranean. It’s a stadium that the French team love.”
