Galthié reshuffles France squad as four Top 14 injuries force Nations Championship rethink

France head coach Fabien Galthié has been forced into four squad changes ahead of next month’s Nations Championship, with injuries to Section Paloise centre Fabien Brau-Boirie, Stade Rochelais pair Antoine Hastoy and Karl Sorin, and Union Bordeaux Bègles’ Marko Gazzotti depleting his options two weeks before the tournament begins.

The quartet are the latest casualties from a bruising Top 14 round, prompting Galthié to call up UBB’s Nicolas Depoortère, Castres fly-half Louis Le Brun, Section Paloise prop Thomas Laclayat, and Stade Toulousain back-rower Anthony Jelonch.

Of the four injuries, Brau-Boirie’s is the most serious concern. The centre left the field clutching his knee and is awaiting further examination to determine the full extent of the damage.

The reigning Six Nations champions were already managing a significant injury list before this latest blow. Matthieu Jalibert, Thomas Ramos, and Demba Bamba were all ruled out in November with serious injuries expected to keep them sidelined until late December. Jalibert, who was central to France’s Six Nations campaign and the July window of the Nations Championship, has been absent since 20 September when he came off just 14 minutes into UBB’s clash with Stade Français.

Among the replacements, Depoortère featured in France’s July travelling squad but managed only a 14-minute cameo against the All Blacks. The Bordeaux centre now has a fresh opportunity to cement his place in Galthié’s plans with the Rugby World Cup a year away. Jelonch, meanwhile, started four of France’s five Six Nations matches before being dropped following a below-par display against Scotland and subsequently missing the southern hemisphere and Japan tour in July. Laclayat has not been called up since November 2025 and will be looking to add to his three caps, while Le Brun is yet to earn his first.

France currently lead the Northern Hemisphere pool of the Nations Championship with 12 points. They open the tournament against Fiji before facing four-time world champions South Africa on the 14th and Argentina on the 21st to close out the pool stage. Despite the mounting injury toll, Galthié’s stated ambition is to reach the final of the competition in its debut year.