Fabien Galthié wasn’t exactly full of sympathy when Ireland’s loosehead headaches were put to him at Monday’s Six Nations launch in Scotland’s capital city.
The France head coach has issues of his own, at tighthead for one, where Uini Atonio came a cropper playing for La Rochelle against Clermont Auvergne on Sunday evening. Georges-Henri Colombe has been called in as cover.
Paul Boudehent was another La Rochelle player to pick up a knock in that Top 14 game. His place in the French 42-man collective is taken by Alexandre Roumat, while Dublin-born Joshua Brennanis in in place of Toulouse teammate Thibaud Flament.
So, yeah, Galthié didn’t sound all that bothered by Ireland’s concerns.
“No, because every team has some big players injured. We have injured players too and maybe it is an opportunity for other younger players to come forward. It is okay to be conservative but we also have to move the lines and find a balance between being too conservative and also creating.”
Galthié’s response when asked about the decision to drop Gregory Alldritt, Gael Fickou and Damian Penaud from his collective was remarkably similar: youth, experience, balance etc. This, he said, was a selection about the here and now. A selection for the Ireland game.
The most Marmite of coaches has named eight uncapped players in an initial squad of 42 which, after the first three days in camp this week, will be whittled down to 28 for that opener against Andy Farrell’s visitors to the Stade de France on Thursday week.
“It’s a photo of the here and now,” he explained.
“It is neither the past or the future. It is stuff we have observed of the players and we have come up with the best possible squad in the here and now. We have the best 42 players, we believe, to face Ireland.
“We need to find a balance between experience and competition, between those who already have the past experience and new players who might be fresh. We won last year but now we have to move forward and create more competitions between the players.”
“For those players who have never been capped, this is going to give them the experience of preparing for such a big match. Then we are down to 28 and 23 and things will be different.”
Pretty cool way to get the Six Nations launch underway in Edinburgh, in fairness pic.twitter.com/zqBAj4hGtb
— Brendan O’Brien (@byBrendanOBrien) January 26, 2026
Whatever about his squad selection, Galthié can at least be happy in the knowledge that he has Antoine Dupont available to him again after the scrum-half genius missed last year’s tournament and the November window through injury.
“Obviously I’m very excited to play this first game at home,” said Dupont. “It’s a bit special for me as I didn’t wear the French jersey for a year. I’m excited. It’s a magical tournament. It’s always the same feeling every time we play these games.”
