France Forced Into Four Changes as Top 14 Casualties Mount

France's preparations for next month's Nations Championship have taken another hit. Head coach Fabien Galthié has been forced to make four changes to his Les Bleus squad after a brutal round of Top 14 action claimed more victims, with Section Paloise centre Fabien Brau-Boirie, Stade Rochelais pair Antoine Hastoy and Karl Sorin, and Union Bordeaux Bègles back-rower Marko Gazzotti all ruled out. The replacements called up are UBB's Nicolas Depoortère, Castres' Louis Le Brun, Pau's Thomas Laclayat and Toulouse's Anthony Jelonch. The most worrying of the injuries is Brau-Boirie's, with the centre leaving the field clutching his knee and now awaiting further examinations to establish the extent of the damage. The latest withdrawals add to an already long casualty list for the reigning Six Nations champions, who had previously lost Matthieu Jalibert, Thomas Ramos and Demba Bamba from their November plans with serious injuries expected to sideline them until late December. Jalibert, a key figure in the Six Nations and the July window of the Nations Championship, was hurt on September 20 against Stade Français, coming off just 14 minutes into the game. With the Nations Championship now two weeks away, Galthié's squad depth is being tested to its limit. France will need their replacements to hit the ground running if they are to defend their standing among the northern hemisphere's elite.