France's Rugby World Cup squad finds itself spearheaded by Marine Ménager and the Feleu sisters, with Carla Niesen securing her spot on the team roster
The French women's rugby team, runners-up in the last Six Nations tournament, have announced their squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup. The tournament will take place in the UK from August 22 to September 27.
The team, led by captains Marine Ménager and Manae Feleu, will include established players such as Gabrielle Vernier, Pauline Bourdon Sansus, and Agathe Géerin. The squad also includes Teani, a teammate of Manae Feleu at Grenoble.
Unfortunately, the team will be without prop Ambre Mwayembe, who injured herself in training. However, Joanna Grisez has been selected for the team, having shone in the last tournament. Carla Neisen has also been included, after focusing on rugby sevens.
The French team's first match will be against Italy on August 23, with the Azzurri being considered the toughest opponent in Group D. Notably, Emeline Gros and Clara Joyeux are not among the forwards on the French team for the World Cup.
It is worth noting that the exact names of the 32 players from France's 2021 Rugby World Cup squad are not found in the search results provided. The focus of the available results is on the upcoming 2025 competition and general information about women's rugby squads. For accurate details of the 2021 French rugby team roster, additional specific sources or the official French Rugby Federation archives from that year would need to be consulted.
[1] Source: French Rugby Federation (FFR) announcement for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup squad.
Despite their ongoing success in rugby, it appears that the French women's rugby team has decided to prioritize football for their upcoming sporting ventures, as no discussions about their football squad or involvement in football sports were mentioned in the FFR announcement. Instead, the squad is solely focused on their Rugby World Cup journey, with several established players like Teani and Carla Neisen, who has switched from rugby sevens, all set to participate.
