New Zealand Rugby officials are reportedly ‘livid’ with France after the French Rugby Federation (FFR) announced that they would be sending a weakened team for the 2025 tour.
Les Bleus take on the All Blacks in July next year in a three-Test series which would ordinarily generate huge interest.
Both sides are in the top-four of the World Rugby rankings and are genuine competitors with the Springboks and Ireland to be considered the best team on the planet.
Seeing players such as global superstar Antoine Dupont on New Zealand soil would also provide an opportunity for the hosts to market the games, but he may not make it over.
New agreement
On Tuesday, the FFR and the National Rugby League (LNR) reached an agreement over the release of their players for the 2025 matches.
They have confirmed that those individuals who make the final of the Top 14, which is scheduled for late June, will miss the tour to New Zealand.
It is a move which has angered NZR, according to Times journalist Will Kelleher, who wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Interesting this, that France are taking a second team to NZ.
“NZR officials are livid about it, as it devalues a mega series, and their ability to market it, especially as France have flagged they’re doing it so far in advance.
“Rugby eats itself exhibition 1,890…!”
A move such as this has been in the pipeline for a while and has now been confirmed by the FFR, who described it as “part of a preparation cycle for the 2027 World Cup with an approach focused on managing the most in-demand players and on the gradual construction of the squad.”
The statement added: “An initial group of 42 players will be formed in two stages. In the first stage, 28 available players will be selected after the Top 14 play-offs (mid-June) to prepare for a first France Development match on the weekend of the Top 14 semi-finals.
“This group will then be completed by players from the clubs that lost in the semi-finals, in order to reach a total of 42 players. The finalists of the Top 14 will not be selected for these international periods.”
Antoine Dupont dominates Top 14 awards evening, taking his career honour haul to 30
Initial idea
Fortunately, the plan appears to have been watered down from an initial proposal by Les Bleus boss Fabien Galthie, which basically wanted France to wrap their “premium” players in cotton wool – irrespective of their progress in the Top 14.
“Players will benefit from four mandatory weeks off and four weeks without matches,” Galthie told L’Equipe in June.
“We built on trust while adjusting the management of the international season by choosing to rest our ‘premium’ during the summer tours.
“It was a first step. We want to go even further which will mean that we will go on tour in the summer of 2025 in New Zealand without our ‘premium’ players.
“It’s been like this for four years. Why change strategy? Because we’re travelling to the All Blacks? You have to be consistent.”
It seems remarkable that the national team head coach would not want his best players available, especially in a huge series such as this, but that is the route they are going down ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
In theory, the recently confirmed plan does open up the possibility of individuals such as Dupont touring should his club, Toulouse, fail to reach the Top 14 final, but Galthie may choose to rest someone of his importance in any case, especially considering his recent comments.
READ MORE: Autumn Nations Series: Fixtures and kick-off times for Test rugby’s end-of-year action
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source link
