SIX NATIONS: Frederic Michalak has vowed to do all he can to return to the France squad after being told he will not feature in the forthcoming RBS 6 Nations Championship. France coach Marc Lievremont named his 30-man Six Nations squad today.
Lievremont does not believe Michalak, who is back at Toulouse after a year in South Africa with the Sharks, is at the right level to merit a return to the national team and will look at other outhalves for the Six Nations.
Michalak, who has been in and out of the Les Bleus squad over the past five years because of a series of injuries and dips in form, will go back to the drawing board and try to improve his displays for Toulouse in a bid to grab Lievremont's attention.
"I am always disappointed not to play for the national team," he told L'Equipe. "But, as always, I am saying to myself I must continue to work hard and challenge myself to get back into that squad."
Michalak was disappointing for Toulouse in their 33-26 defeat to Glasgow in the Heineken Cup on Saturday, when a good performance may have convinced Lievremont to call him up for Les Bleus for the first time since the 2007 World Cup finals.
A mercurial talent, Michalak believes his sojourn to South Africa has made him a better player and he hopes to show this once he has settled back at the French champions, where he started his career back in 2000.
"Since I returned to Toulouse, I have tried to become more of a team player and to use my team-mates more - at one time, people had a go at me for keeping hold of the ball too much," he added.
"I am trying to give my all here and it hasn't been too bad. I am trying to reintegrate. I left a year ago and I have to get back into the swing of things on and off the pitch."
Lievremont has even suggested Michalak's best position could be at scrumhalf, and he has not discounted using the 26-year-old there in future.
"With Toulouse, I have played several times at nine and I will do it again," Michalak said.
"If the national-team coach wants me to play there, I will do it."
France squad:
Backs: Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Morgan Parra, Lionel Beauxis, Yannick Jauzion, Benoit Baby, Florian Fritz, Aurelien Rougerie, Julien Malzieu, Cedric Heymans, Maxime Mermoz, Clement Poitrenaud, Alexis Palisson, Maxime Medard.
Forwards: Nicolas Mas, Lionel Faure, Benoit Lecouls, Fabien Barcella, Guilhem Guirado, Dimitri Szarzewski, Benjamin Kayser, Sebastien Chabal, Lionel Nallet, Jerome Thion, Romain Millo-Chluski, Julien Bonnaire, Thierry Dusautoir, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Louis Picamoles, Damien Chouly.
