Chabal back for France

Sale forward Sébastien Chabal has been recalled to the France side for their tour to Australia.

Sale forward recalled for tour to Australia

Sale forward Sébastien Chabal has been recalled to the France side for their tour to Australia. Chabel had looked to have fallen out of the international reckoning after the appointment of Marc Lièvremont as head coach, with the 30-year-old dropped for the RBS Six Nations. However, with the players from Clermont, Stade Français, Toulouse and Perpignan missing the tour Down Under due to their club commitments, Lièvremont has turned to the experience of Chabal. Lièvremont has been forced to name 11 uncapped players in the 26-man squad, including his younger brother Mathieu, who plays on the flank for Dax. There are first call-ups also for Sebastien Tillous-Bordes, Yannick Caballero, Thibault Lacroix, Jean-Baptiste Peyras, Alexis Palisson, Benjamin Kayser, David Janin, Maxime Mermoz ,Pierre Correia and Benoit Lecouls "It was not easy but it's not a squad by default," coach Lievremont told a news conference. "There will be a lot of young players, and some who are not so young. Our goal is to lay the foundations for the 2011 World Cup. We'll need those young players in New Zealand. "We had to take into account the fact that some players were very tired at the end of a long season which started with the World Cup. "Such was the case for Chabal. He had a four-week break whereas players like Jerome Thion, who was available, have been in action all year." France - Forwards: Lionel Faure (Sale), Benjamin Kayser (Leicester), Sébastien Bruno (Sale), Pierre Correia (Albi), Renaud Boyoud (Dax), Benoît Lecouls (Biarritz), David Couzinet (Biarritz), Lionel Nallet (Castres), Sébastien Chabal (Sale), Mathieu Lièvremont (Dax), Yannick Caballero (Montauban), Louis Picamoles (Montpellier), Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz).
Backs: Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), Sébastien Tillous-Borde (Castres), Benjamin Boyet (Bourgoin), Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Maxime Mermoz (Toulouse), Thibault Lacroix (Albi), Damien Traille (Biarritz), Alexis Palisson (Brive), Benjamin Thiéry (Biarritz), Pépito Elhorga (Bayonne), Jean-Baptiste Peyras (Bayonne), David Janin (Bourgoin).