France Women have named a strong 28-player squad for the 2019 Six Nations campaign as they look to complete back-to-back Grand Slam victories.
Included in the Championship squad are three World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year 2018 nominees, which gets underway against Wales on 2 February.
Openside flanker Gaëlle Hermet will lead the side for the second straight campaign having overseen her country’s first Grand Slam since 2014 last time out.
She’s in a group alongside her fellow Player of the Year nominees Pauline Bourdon and Safi N’Diaye as France seek their seventh Women’s Six Nations crown.
The squad will take part in a training camp from 21 January to 25 January to prepare for the Championship before gearing up for the opening match in Montpellier.
France coach Samuel Cherouk said: “We have our players under contract and they have priority, we identified them before that is why they signed a contract.
“After that it’s the meritocracy, we follow the matches every weekend so we take the players who are performing for their clubs.
“We will stay on the key words: simple, fast, strong. We then try to select players who are fit into this project.
“Every game will be important, I do not want to project myself, it’s too easy to look two and a half months in advance. The goal is to win every game but we will see what we are capable of doing in terms of character.”
Lise Arricastre (Lons Rugby Female Béarn Pyrénées), Caroline Boujard (Montpellier Rc), Pauline Bourdon (As Bayonnaise), Doriane Constanty (Stade Français Paris), Lénaïg Corson (Stade Français Paris), Annaëlle Deshaye (As Rouen University Club), Coumba Diallo (Stade Français Paris), Julie Duval (Ovalie Caennaise), Céline Ferer (As Bayonnaise), Audrey Forlani (Women’s Blagnac Rugby), Gaëlle Hermet (Stade Toulousain), Camille Imart (Stade Toulousain), Ian Jason (Stade Toulousain), Clara Joyeux (Women’s Blagnac Rugby), Fiona Lecat (Stade Toulousain) Laurianne Lissar (As Bayonnaise), Marine Menager (Montpellier Rc), Romane Menager (Montpellier Rc), Léa Murie (Stade Toulousain), Safi N’diaye (Montpellier Rc), Morgane Peyronnet (Montpellier Rc), Yanna Rivoalen (Lille Mrc Villeneuvois), Dieynaba Sacko (Ac Bobigny 93 Rugby), Marie Salluzo (Ac Bobigny 93 Rugby), Agathe Sochat (Montpellier Rc), Caroline Thomas (Asm Romagnat Rugby Female), Laure Touye (Blagnac Women’s Rugby), Dhia Maylis Traore (Stade Toulousain), Gabrielle Vernier (Lille Mrc Villeneuvois)
