New era for France as Guy Noves names first squad

Guy Noves has included five uncapped players in his first France squad while also recalling half-back pairing Francois Trinh-Duc and Maxime Machenaud.

The new faces are Toulouse scrum-half Sebastien Bezy and flanker Yacouba Camara, Stade Francais centre Jonathan Danty, Clermont lock Paul Jedrasiak and Bordeaux-Begles prop Jefferson Poirot.

Montpellier fly-half Trinh-Duc - who will join Toulon at the end of the season - last featured for France against England at Twickenham on August 15 but failed to make Philippe Saint-Andre's World Cup squad.

Trinh-Duc is one of two fly-halves in the squad - which will meet up with the new coaching team on January 4 - along with Stade Francais No 10 Jules Plisson.

Other players who did not feature in the tournament under Saint-Andre are Clermont lock Sebastien Vahaamahina, Bordeaux-Begles flanker Loann Goujon and Castres centre Remi Lamerat.

Machenaud, who has not featured for France since June 21, 2014 against Australia in Sydney, is one of three scrum-halves named, along with Bezy and Clermont Auvergne's Morgan Parra.

Long-time French captain Thierry Dusautoir, who led his country on a record 56 occasions, is not part of the squad after announcing his retirement early this month.

Full-back/wingers Hugo Bonneval (Stade Francais), Benjamin Fall (Montpellier) and Maxime Medard (Toulouse), and Racing flanker Wenceslas Lauret also make their return to international duty.

Noves, however, has discarded several players who featured for France in the World Cup, which ended with a 62-13 quarter-final thrashing by eventual champions New Zealand.

Among the backs, centre Mathieu Bastareaud, full-back Brice Dulin, fly-half Remi Tales, scrum-halves Rory Kockott and Sebastien Tillous-Borde, and wingers Sofiane Guitoune and Noa Nakaitaci failed to make the cut.

Up front, flankers Yannick Nyanga and Fulgence Ouedraogo are joined on the sidelines by prop Vincent Debaty.

After their introductory day at the French federation's headquarters in Marcoussis, south of Paris, a second day is organised for January 11, the squad list for which will be announced five days previously.

The squad for the first game of the Six Nations, against Italy on February 6, will be unveiled on January 19.

Forwards: Uini Atonio (La Rochelle), Eddy Ben Arous (Racing 92), Guilhem Guirado (Toulon), Benjamin Kayser (Clermont Auvergne), Jefferson Poirot (Bordeaux Begles), Rabah Slimani (Stade Francais), Alexandre Flanquart (Stade Francais), Paul Jedrasiak (Clermont Auvergne), Yoann Maestri (Toulouse), Sebastien Vahaamahina (Clermont Auvergne), Yacouba Camara (Toulouse), Damien Chouly (Clermont Auvergne), Loann Goujon (La Rochelle), Wenceslas Lauret (Racing 92), Bernard Le Roux (Racing 92), Louis Picamoles (Toulouse)

Backs: Sebastien Bezy (Toulouse), Maxime Machenaud (Racing 92), Morgan Parra (Clermont Auvergne), Jules Plisson (Stade Francais), Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Jonathan Danty (Stade Francais), Alexandre Dumoulin (Racing 92), Gael Fickou (Toulouse), Wesley Fofana (Clermont Auvergne), Remi Lamerat (Castres), Hugo Bonneval (Stade Francais), Benjamin Fall (Montpellier), Maxime Medard (Toulouse), Scott Spedding (Clermont Auvergne)