France name 40-man squad as World Cup preparations begin

Catalans Dragons and Toulouse Olympique will provide 28 players between them in the France squad for their first training camp of 2022.

Coach Laurent Frayssinous has named a 40-strong squad for the get-together in Perpignan on March 21. He will step up his preparations for the end-of-year World Cup.

The squad includes representatives from Huddersfield, Salford, London Broncos, Barrow and Halifax.

Frayssinous said: “This internship marks the beginning of the 2022 international season. It is in the continuity of our preparation for the World Cup.

“We will be able to take stock together of what worked during the last test match against England and target areas for improvement for the next international meeting in June.”

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Frayssinous added: “We will also continue our exchanges on the ‘culture’ of the French team; and the history of this team.

“This group of 40 players is of very high quality; and is of course not closed because I am attentive to the performance of our players every weekend. It currently allows for healthy emulation of competition at each position.

“I would like to thank the Dragons club as well as the town hall of Perpignan for being able to take advantage of the infrastructure of Gilbert Brutus; as well as all the coaches of the French clubs with whom the sharing is done in a very positive way despite their daily constraints.”

France 40-man squad

L Albert, Bergal, Gigot, Jussaume, Marcon, Marion, Navarrete, Pelissier, Puech, Sangare, Springer, Stefani ( allToulouse), V Albert, Gambaro (both Carcassonne), Bousquet, Cozza, Da Costa, Dezaria, Franco, Garcia, Goudemand, Jullien, Laguerre, Le Cam, Mourgue, Romano, Rouge, Seguier, Vailhen, Yaha (all Catalans), Curran (London Broncos), Escare (Salford), Fabre (Albi), Fages (Huddersfield), Jouffret (Halifax), Lacans (Lezignan), Lasvenes, Marguerite (both Villeneuve), Marty (St-Estève XIII Catalan), Miloudi (Barrow).

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