France’s players will have to meet certain fitness objectives in order to make the squad for the Rugby World Cup, according to coach Jacques Brunel.
The French coaching staff have established a list of 65 players who are being monitored in the build-up to the World Cup squad announcement.
Those players have all received fitness targets that they will have to achieve to come into consideration for the trip to Japan.
Brunel explained: “The players will know that we are following them and have a chance to go to Japan. They will also know the ins and outs of the summer preparation.
“It’s crucial to arrive in the best shape possible.
“If the objectives are not met, that will be unacceptable. I’m warning them now, I want a squad of players who are determined. I want a group of players with the same mindset as me to have a great World Cup.”
This announcement comes after the addition of Fabien Galthié and Thibault Giroud to the coaching staff.
The latter is a strength and conditioning coach, who works at Toulon, and his role will be crucial in ensuring the players are in the best possible shape for the competition.
France, who finished fourth in the 2019 Guinness Six Nations, will name a 37-man squad on June 18 with two training camps scheduled for the end of that month before warm-up matches against Italy and Scotland, twice, in August.
