Eight French players dumped from Six Nations squad escape further punishment
Monday 30 April 2018 23:16, UK
Eight players thrown off France's Six Nations squad for partying into the small hours following a defeat to Scotland will face no further action, the French Rugby Federation (FFR) said on Monday.
The eight, including the tournament's top try-scorer Teddy Thomas and No 8 Louis Picamoles were dropped from Les Bleus' squad in February following a night out in Edinburgh.
Arthur Iturria, Anthony Belleau, Jonathan Danty, Sekou Macalou, Remi Lamerat and Felix Lambey were the other six players involved.
Only two from the party, Danty and Macalou, have yet to be recalled by France coach Jacques Brunel.
The remaining players will face no further sanctions, although the FFR said that after-match activities will be more tightly controlled.
FFR president Bernard Laporte said that while the incident "undeniably harmed the reputation of our national team and our sport" the sanctions handed down in the aftermath were "sufficient".
Laporte, cited in a FFR statement, added: "I have asked for after-match periods to be more strictly controlled.
"Moreover, it is our duty to fully educate our players on the exemplary behaviour that is expected of any international player."
