In an intriguing development following Fabien Galthie\u2019s huge decision to drop some of his France leaders, two of them have been named in a mid-season Top 14 XV voted for by the fans.<\/b><\/p>\n
During the week, Les Bleus\u2019 head coach made the massive call to omit some of their stalwarts, with Gregory Alldritt, Gael Fickou and Damian Penaud all missing out.<\/p>\n
A lack of form has been suggested with Alldritt and Fickou perhaps not being at their best, while there have been question marks about Penaud\u2019s defence.<\/p>\n
However, the supporters appear to disagree as both Alldritt and Penaud have made the Top 14 team, despite missing out on the 42-man French<\/a> squad for the Six Nations.<\/p>\n In what is basically a team of the season so far, Alldritt is the only player to make it from La Rochelle, who came into the weekend just outside the Top 14<\/a> play-offs in seventh place.<\/p>\n Big guns dominate<\/p>\n It is a XV dominated by Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles, the two best teams in France over the past couple of seasons.<\/p>\n Les Rouge et Noir are comfortably entrenched in the top two and have six in the side. Four of those are up front, with France trio Thibaud Flament, Emmanuel Meafou and Antony Jelonch, as well as English flanker Jack Willis, their four representatives.<\/p>\n Their other two come in a backline as a couple of more French internationals, Kalvin Gourgues and Thomas Ramos, have been selected.<\/p>\n The rest primarily come from the spellbinding Bordeaux with Matthieu Jallibert, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Nicolas Depoortere, who are favourites to start against Ireland in France\u2019s Six Nations opener, joining their discarded team-mate, Penaud.<\/p>\n Toulon\u2019s Baptiste Serin, who has received a well-deserved recall to the Test squad, completes the backline.<\/p>\n In fact, Willis is the only non-France international to make it, showing his importance to France\u2019s most successful club, with Jean-Baptiste Gross, Maxime Lamothe and Regis Montagne the other members of the XV.<\/p>\n It is the inclusion of Alldritt and Penaud which provides the most intrigue, though, with Galthie deciding to drop them for the Six Nations.<\/a><\/p>\n