Wales gets ready for first training camp; France ten steps ahead!
The Rugby World Cup 2023 hype is already here, and the Northern Hemisphere teams are already on their way to getting their act together to create a stellar performance in September.
With fans flocking to official ticket platforms and trusted reseller platforms such as Seatsnet, the hype is palpable, even though we are a few months away from the main competition.
Wales players set for crucial week ahead of first training camp
Wales have finished their mini-camps as World Cup preparations enter the next phase that could see players cut from the squad.
After five weeks of mini-camps that began on May 24, Monday will see Warren Gatland have his full training squad present at the team’s base at the Vale Resort.
Dan Biggar and Nick Tompkins will be the last of the squad to join, having finished their club seasons later in France and England, respectively.
There’ll be a week in camp with Wales, then traveling to Switzerland on July 3 for a two-week training camp. Afterward, they head to Turkey in late July before the August warm-up matches.
Warren Gatland had previously said that the initial squad of 54 would be reduced to somewhere in the mid-40s ahead of the trip to Switzerland.
There needs to be a confirmation on when or if Wales’ squad will still be cut after some departures. Following the international retirements of Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, and Rhys Webb, as well as the withdrawals of Rhys Carre and Cory Hill, the size of the squad is now 49.
Presuming Gatland still reduces the squad, the cut will happen before July 3 – leaving players with little time left to seal their spot on the plane.
Wales begins U-20s campaign
Wales begin their under 20s World Championship today with a daunting but exciting match against New Zealand in South Africa.
After their opening game against Baby Blacks in Paarl in the Western Cape of South Africa this Saturday, Wales face matches against Japan and France as the world’s showpiece age-grade tournament returns for the first time since 2019. Japan games have always brought in high demand in the rugby field for tickets ever since their impressive run in the 2019 world cup, according to Seatsnet, and the excitement doubles down the U20 level with ticket sales.
Ospreys hooker Lewis Lloyd is handed his first start, while Evan Hill, Seb Driscoll, and Harri Wilde will debut off the bench.
There are a few changes from the side that finished the U20s Six Nations in Oyannax back in March, with Archie Hughes, Harri Houston, and Louie Hennessey starting.
“It’s an exciting side which I think has a lot of potential,” said head coach Mark Jones. “If that team can click and we can get the cohesion we want, it is a good-looking team.
“The attitude of the boys has been excellent; they have committed to the stuff we’ve been working on, and they have shown quality a lot of the time, but we know we have ground to make up.”
Wales U20s:
Cameron Winnett (Cardiff Rugby); Llien Morgan (Ospreys), Louie Hennessey (Bath Rugby), Bryn Bradley (Harlequins), Harri Houston (Ospreys); Dan Edwards (Ospreys), Archie Hughes (Scarlets); Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths (Dragons), Lewis Lloyd (Ospreys), Ellis Fackrell (Ospreys), Liam Edwards (Ospreys), Jonny Green (Harlequins)
France is in full swing in training camp
France head coach Fabien Galthié named a 42-man training squad on Thursday as preparations for their home Rugby World Cup tournament move up a gear.
France boasts a highly competitive 14-team domestic competition in the Top 14 and a solid second division in the Pro D2, making Galthié’s job of narrowing down his list to just 42 players incredibly difficult.
Here are the winners and losers from the coach’s decisions:
Winners:
Veterans return
Since taking over as head coach after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Galthié has allowed several players to stake their claim for a place in the tournament’s squad. This has led to much chopping and changing over the past four years, and some players have been excluded for long periods.
However, two players who have fought back into contention are scrum-half Baptiste Serin and full-back Brice Dulin.
U20 stars duo
Galthié has not been shy to select young players in his squads over the past four years, and he is not stopping that trend in a World Cup year. He has chosen a pair of rising stars still eligible to feature in the World Rugby U20s Championship Emilien Gailleton (19) and Louis Bielle-Biarrey (20).
The duo have made quite the chatter around social media, with French fans excessively demanding tickets for the big dance on reseller platforms such as Seatsnet.
Returning stars
The fact that Arthur Vincent has earned a call-up despite playing just two matches for Montpellier this season speaks volumes about how highly Galthié rates the 23-year-old. Vincent has not played for France in over a year due to his struggles with injuries.
Still, if fit, you can bet that he will crack the final squad with rugby IQ, attacking and defensive brilliance, and his ability to play both center positions and wing comfortably.
Uncapped forwards
Galthié named four uncapped players in his squad and has already touched on the two backs; it’s time to dive into the pack.
The France boss has dug into the Pro D2 again and selected Oyonnax’s Thomas Laclayat, who helped his side secure promotion to the Top 14 next season. The other uncapped forward in the squad is the excellent Paul Boudehent, who worked tirelessly for La Rochelle this season, winning the Champions Cup title and reaching the final of the Top 14.
Losers:
Fly-half riches
The quality of fly-halves left out of the French squad will make many teams blush, with Romain Ntamack, Matthieu Jalibert, and Antoine Hastoy managing to beat out the competition to secure their spots.
The evergreen veteran Camille Lopez needs to catch up on selection.
While that is hardly shocking, considering he has not earned a cap since the 2019 World Cup, he was undoubtedly pressing for recall.
Losing ground
The pair of fly-halves aren’t the only ones who have dropped down Les Bleus’ pecking order, with Anthony Bouthier (full-back), Pierre-Louis Barassi (center), Matthis Lebel (wing), Alexandre Becognee (back-row), Dany Priso (prop), Nolann Le Garrec, and Leo Coly (both scrum-halves) all losing ground on the competition.
This further highlights France’s incredible depth, with several talents outside those mentioned above also sticking their hand up for selection.
Injured stars
And then there are the players whose dream of playing in a home World Cup could be ended through injury. Jelonch and Sipili Falatea are two members of this season’s Six Nations squad that could be backed if they can prove their fitness before the World Cup, but time is starting to run out for the pair.
Meanwhile, fringe players like Yacouba Camara, Leo Berdue, Gaetan Barlot, and Killian Geraci may have already missed their chance.
The injured stars will feel the weight of the French jersey when they see the team take the field on their home turf.
All eyes will be on the French as the experts indicate they are red-hot favorites to win this year’s title. Tickets for the Rugby World Cup 2023 are already available on Seatsnet, with increased demand for the home games involving France.
