Fred Michalak has been rewarded for the good form he’s shown at flyhalf for the Sharks in recent weeks with a surprise inclusion in the French squad to tour Argentina next month.
Coach Philippe Saint-Andre has included nine debutants in the squad, along with 50+ cap veteran Michalak, who last played for the national side in 2010.
Michalak will need to leave for France pretty much straight after the Sharks play the Lions this weekend, as the squad has a warm-up match scheduled against Biarritz on 6 June, followed by the two test matches in Argentina on 16 and 23 June.
It is not currently clear whether Michalak will return to the Sharks to resume Super Rugby duties after the international window has passed, since his contract with Toulon for the 2012-2013 season apparently starts on 1 July. We have been told, though, that Michalak is expected to hang around with the Sharks until they are no longer in contention for the Super Rugby trophy; that will need to be confirmed.
One thing we do know, though, is that Michalak will definitely not be able to play for the Sharks against John Smit’s World XV on 22 June.
France’s 28-man squad:
Forwards (15)
David Attoub (Stade Francais), Vincent Debaty (Clermont), Antoine Guillamon (Lyon), Yvan Watremez (Biarritz), Christopher Tolofua (Toulouse), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Francais), Yoann Maestri (Toulouse), Christophe Samson (Toulon), Pascal Pape (Stade Francais, capt), Romain Taofifenua (Perpignan), Alexandre Lapandry (Clermont), Wenceslas Lauret (Biarritz), Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Louis Picamoles (Toulouse), Raphael Lakafia (Biarritz)
Backs (13)
Maxime Machenaud (Agen), Morgan Parra (Clermont), Frederic Michalak (Sharks/RSA), Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Geoffrey Doumayrou (Montpellier), Florian Fritz (Toulouse), Wesley Fofana (Clermont), Maxime Mermoz (Perpignan), Benjamin Fall (Racing-Metro), Romain Martial (Castres), Yoann Huget (Bayonne), Jean-Marcellin Buttin (Clermont), Brice Dulin (Agen)
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Congrats to Fred. You have deserved the recall. Hope you get another 50 under your belt for Les Blues.
So we have one eligible scrumhalf for the playoffs, one backup who may or may not stay for July and another that needs 3 more games to become eligible if I understand correctly.
Anyway well done Fred. You have really surprised me in the last 2 games
Lets hope we dont lose another scrummy. Well done fred. A deserved recall
I am sure that both Hoffmann and Reinach are eligible to play semis.
98% sure…
@Bokhoring (Comment 2) : You do not understand correctly.
@robdylan (Comment 5) : I don’t like that 2% uncertainty.
Au revoir, Frederic! Thanks for the contributions, and all the best for the future!
@Ben (Comment 6) : So just the 1st of April squad registration required – not 4 games too?
@Bokhoring (Comment 9) : Yup, Rob cleared that up for you in the ‘Minimal changes for Sharks’ thread.
I’m still checking guys.
@Ben (Comment 10) : Hard to concentrate on blogging when work keeps interrupting all the time
@Bokhoring (Comment 12) : I also have that problem. Seems it’s becoming a trend with companies these days.
@Bokhoring (Comment 9) : The 1 April deadline is for any player which is added to the squad after the initial announcement – those players will also have had to have played 4 games for the team to be able to participate in the playoffs.
Players who were already in the squad, like Hoffman, might be exempt from this rule.
Fred has been in great form. Well Done to him.
Good stuff for Freddie. I guess he will have to do something great to dethrone Trinh-Duc.
Great news for France. I hope Saint-Andre does not try to make France play like Wales or England – they don’t have the players.
Keep the flair but temper it with disciplined execution and some solid beef in the pack. Fred’s kicking has improved and he’s shown much more of an aptitude and appetite for tackling and carrying the ball up of late – making him a much more rounded, stable player than ever before.
All the best Fred – I hope you have a few more golden years out there!
Congratulations Fred.
@Big Fish (Comment 17) : I’m still not convinced about him. About a month ago we all were calling for him to pack his sh*t and go back to France. I feel he is still as inconsistent as always.
@Ben (Comment 18) : Really hope he proves me wrong against the Lions and has a blinder.
@Ben (Comment 18) : I hear you, but we are comparing him to Pat at the Sharks; the French do not have that luxury.
@Big Fish (Comment 20) : I fully agree. My comment was more regarding everyone saying in what great form Michalak is.
Really chuffed for Freddy. Cograts.
@Salmonoid (Comment 22) : Congrats.
This is why playing Super Rugby is good for many rugby careers. If he had been playing in the Zurich or Heineken Cup he would have disappeared into obscurity by now.