Tokyo (AFP)
Two small weeks and then goes: Wesley Fofana, one of the leaders of attack of the XV of France, declared forfeit for the continuation of the World cup in Japan, announced Saturday the French Federation of rugby, and will be replaced in the group by Pierre-Louis Barassi, called for the first time.
The news fell a few hours after the victory against Argentina (23-21) and tarnished the success that opened the door to the Blues quarterfinals. They find themselves, from the beginning of the competition, deprived of their only first business center, replaced by a second center, which will discover the group: Barassi (Lyon), 21 years old and world champion under 20 years in 2018.
Fofana's international career is coming to an end, having announced at the beginning of the year that it will end it after the Japanese deadline.
"He goes back to France for treatment and Pierre-Louis Barassi will join the France group at the earliest in the week in Kumamoto" where the XV of France will prepare his second meeting on October 2 against the United States in Fukuoka (south).
The management therefore preferred to call the Lyonnais rather than Anthony Belleau, who can play first center and appeared in the enlarged group for the World Cup, before being among the six ousted September 2.
He lost with Fofana (31 years, 48 sel.) A second center after Geoffrey Doumayrou, wounded mid-August Achilles tendon just before the first game of preparation against Scotland in Nice (32-3).
The Clermontois, he was touched during the last against Italy on August 30 (47-19). The coach Jacques Brunel had then indicated that he suffered only a "crutch" and was "nothing serious".
He then returned to his case on Thursday in Tokyo: "He had a small injury and there was a complication that (his recovery) was delayed.This complication has arrived in recent days, so that his rehabilitation took longer than expected. "
- End of international career -
Did the coach take a risk by taking Fofana to Japan, which was hardly trained last week in Fujiyoshida, at the foot of Mount Fuji, settling in the second part of races and work of support in the company of physical trainers?
The player is routinely handicapped by a thigh injury, which forced him to forfeit Italy in March at the Six Nations Tournament and Scotland in Edinburgh in the second warm-up match. 17).
He has played in only one of the five games of the last Tournament and has only four caps since November 2016, the fault of repeated injuries.
"He needs to feel safe, so it's more of his own feeling, so we'll wait," Brunel said last Saturday.
Thus ends in any case the international career of the original Parisian, who indicated during the Tournament that he would stop after the World Cup to focus on his club, Clermont, and his family.
A career in Blue started in February 2012, and marked in particular by a splendid test against England, in Twickenham, in the Tournament 2013. But who unfortunately found too few little brothers in the jersey struck du Coq.
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