mens
rugby world championship
The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has reportedly adopted special measures with Top 14 clubs for the first time to protect “33 premium players” during the upcoming 2027 Rugby World Cup season.
For the first time loading players from France the national players will be managed according to the agreement to ensure that France has every opportunity to win Rugby World Cup in Australia.
‘Protected Status Players’ must be given a weekend off every four matches, or two match days in an eight-week period this season by the top 14 clubs.
The trade-off is that France will have a selection cap and 33 players can play just nine international tests leading up to the World Cup.
This includes November Nations Championship final window (4 Tests), Six Nations (5) and warm-up squads (3) leading up to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
It was in the 2023 international warm-up that France lost fly-half Romain Ntamack to a serious knee injury, resulting in Toulouse star who missed the entire World Cup. At the time he was one of the leading world number 10.
They also lost key big man Paul Willemse, with the South African native ruled out of the entire tournament before the opening match with a thigh injury.
Prop Cyril Baille and wing Anthony Jelonch have been selected in the World Cup squad despite still recovering from injury. Baille missed the opening stages of the World Cup after suffering an injury in the warm-up games, while Jelonch ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in February during the Six Nations.
French publication Olympic Midday received a full 33-man roster that reportedly includes 13 from Toulouse; heavyweight stars such as Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos, François Cros, Thibaud Flament and Emmanuel Meafou.
European champions Bordeaux they have six protected players including many of France’s backline weapons Damian Penaud, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert.
Toulon veteran pair Gael Fickou and Charles Ollivon are included along with Race 92 lock Romain Taofifénu who was famously red carded in the France 2019 quarter-finals. Wales in Japan.
While scrumhalf Nolann Le Garrec and flanker Paul Boudehent are included from La Rochelle, one of the biggest omissions is their team-mate Gregory Alldritt who has 58 Test caps. Bordeaux’s Maxime Lucu, who is expected to be Dupont’s back-up, has also been ruled out.
The protected player list is intended specifically to manage workload, which is why some older players are not included and the FFR determines they are not needed.