Today we were greeted with and treated to the now unfamiliar sight of a French squad which appears, by and large, to be made up of the best players in France.
After years of tinkering and mad left-field selections from mad moustachioed Monsieur Lièvremont, Philippe Saint-Andre has reverted to most of the players that should have been involved all along.
Having said that, Florian Fritz will feel hard done by after his exclusion in favour of Toulousain club mate Yann David. More so, former captain Lionel Nallet has been left out in favour of Julien Pierre who is surely not as good as Nallet whose physicality and mobility are as good as they have been in recent times. There is little doubt that his influence in France pulling themselves together and reaching the World Cup final was significant.
The front row looks as solid as ever and Barcella should return to his position as the best scrummager in Europe after a lengthy lay-off.
The second row could be all Toulouse if Yoann Maestri makes his debut alongside Romain Millo-Chluski, though Pape looks certain to keep his place.
The back row is as dynamic as possible. Captain fantastic, monsieur 38, Dusautoir will be inked in. The other flank could be Yannick Nyanga's, he who last played in the 2007 World Cup, or Fulgence Ouedraogo. Both offer something different to Julien Bonnaire and PSA may opt for the Clermont man's experience and line out skill. With either Harinordoquy or Louis Picamoles at no. 8, the back row should dominate this 6 Nations.
Morgan Parra and Dimitri Yachvili once again share the 9 shirt, no surprises there. More interestingly, Lionel Beauxis returns from the international wilderness. His move to Toulouse has revitalised this enigmatic fly-half (this always seems to happen at Toulouse, doesn't it) after too many years in a limp Stade Francais team.
Rising star Wesley Fofana is the bolter of the centres though Mermoz and Rougerie will probably start. Julien Malzieu deserves his recall after Lievremont's folly. The Toulouse trio of Clerc, Medard and the recalled Poitrenaud will surely sparkle at some point.
A squad of 30 with 12 Toulousains and 7 Clermontois is smart selecting from Saint-Andre who promises to bring together the French style that he exhibited so well with some added Anglo-Saxon pragmatism. Though I see no Grand Slam this year, France are my pick for the 6 Nations. Their match away to Wales at the Millennium looks set to be the defining match of the tournament.
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