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Powerful France forward Emmanuel Meafou is a major doubt for the Six Nations showdown with Ireland after the Toulouse lock sat out training with his club. The giant second row, who tips the scales at 145kg, missed Les Bleus’ 73-24 win over Italy on Sunday due to a lung infection.
And it remains to be seen whether Meafou is fit to feature in the potential championship decider in Dublin on March 8.
France’s 11-try trouncing of the Azzurri injected fresh life into their title challenge after a disappointing loss at Twickenham in round three.
Better news
There was better news for Les Bleus, however, with Romain Ntamack returning to training on Monday.
Ntamack is back from a two-game suspension after missing the England and Italy games following his red card for a dangerous tackle on Ben Thomas in the opening round win against Wales in Paris.
Ntamack will join up with the France squad at their training base on Friday, while Meafou was excluded from the training group. Damian Penaud was also included alongside
Ntamack after the Bordeaux star was axed ahead of the clash with Italy. Theo Attissogbe started instead of Penaud but the winger was omitted from Fabien Galthié’s plans on Monday.
France took out their frustrations with a big win over Italy even without Emmanuel Meafou. Pic: INPHO/Matteo Ciambelli
Jack Boyle
Meanwhile, newly-capped Ireland prop Jack Boyle has hailed the influence of Andrew Porter and Cian Healy on his development. The 22-year-old made his Test debut from the bench in the 71st minute of Ireland’s 28-17 win against Wales on Saturday. And Boyle heaped praised on his fellow looseheads following his maiden Ireland appearance in Cardiff.
‘They’ve been a massive, massive influence,’ he said. ‘I suppose when I came into the set-up two or three years ago, it was not only Church and Porter, but Tadhg Furlong as well, they’ve all been unbelievable people to me first and foremost; helping me off the pitch, making sure I have everything aligned so you can perform in training and perform if you get an opportunity.
‘But look, it’s the small things really, it’s more so be yourself and enjoy the environment. Don’t be in yourself and don’t go into your shell.
‘You need to express yourself as well. That was probably the main point from all of them.’ Boyle also cited the influence of veteran French tighthead Rabah Slimani, who has made a huge impact since he arrived at Leinster last summer.
2025 Guinness Six Nations Round 3, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales 22/2/2025 Wales vs Ireland Ireland’s Bundee Aki and Jack Boyle celebrate after the game. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan
‘Unbelievable. I was actually texting him during the week telling him I was on the bench and he was over the moon,’ he said.
‘We were rooming together over in Swansea last week (for the Leinster game) against the Ospreys.
He had his fingers crossed for me and thankfully it played out in the end.’ Indeed, Boyle could find himself scrummaging against Slimani when the Irish face down a giant French pack at Aviva Stadium next month.
‘Look, we’ll see, we’ll see,’ the Leinster frontrower added. ‘It would be a bit of a surreal feeling considering we’ve won a few penalties together.’
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2025-02-25 09:36:16
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