Paris - Flanker Yannick Nyanga was dropped from the France squad to face Italy in their Six Nations opener in Rome on Sunday when manager Philippe Saint-Andre trimmed his group to 23, the French federation said on Wednesday.
Louis Picamoles, Thierry Dusautoir, Fulgence Ouedraogo and Damien Chouly are the four loose forwards remaining in the squad.
“It is heartbreaking to have to tell Yannick that he has to leave,” Saint-Andre said in a FFR statement.
Saint-Andre had decided to keep 24 players from the initial 33-man squad because of uncertainties surrounding the fitness of number eight Picamoles, who was suffering from a thigh injury.
“Everything is fine, I've resumed training normally, so no worries,” Picamoles told reporters on Wednesday at France's training camp.
Squad:
Backs: Maxime Machenaud, Morgan Parra, Frederic Michalak, Francois Trinh-Duc, Mathieu Bastareaud, Benjamin Fall, Wesley Fofana, Florian Fritz, Yoann Huget, Maxime Mermoz.
Forwards: Vincent Debaty, Yannick Forestier, Benjamin Kayser, Dimitri Szarzewski, Luc Ducalcon, Nicolas Mas, Yoann Maestri, Pascal Pape (captain), Romain Taofifenua, Damien Chouly, Thierry Dusautoir, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Louis Picamoles. - Reuters