The China Mail - Fickou to captain youthful France squad for tour of New Zealand

The reigning Six Nations champions will be missing many senior players for the tour, such as Gregory Alldritt.

Coach Fabien Galthie has called up 37 players for the three matches against New Zealand on July 5, 12 and 19.

However, the list will likely grow by up to five additional players following Saturday's Top 14 final between Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles.

Fickou skippered the side for the friendly victory over England last weekend, and, with 94 caps, the Racing 92 centre is the most experienced active French player.

For the tour of New Zealand, where France have not beaten the All Blacks since 2009, the 31-year-old will be tasked with bringing experience to a squad featuring 28 players with fewer than 10 caps.

Fickou will be joined by other international veterans including prop Rabah Slimani and second row Romain Taofifenua.

But a number of others are absent such as forwards Alldritt, Paul Boudehent and Jean-Baptiste Gros -- either through injury or the decision to rest them.

The squad could be bolstered with the addition of the likes of Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos, Thibaud Flament, Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey from the two Top 14 finalists.

Some of these players could fly to the southern hemisphere after the final if they have not already used up the quota of 2,000 minutes played over the whole season set by the national team.

However, Galthie has been able to count on the players from defeated semi-finalists Bayonne and Toulon, notably Bayonne fly-half Joris Segonds, Toulon flanker Esteban Abadie and winger Gabin Villiere.

France squad for New Zealand tour

Forwards (21): Esteban Abadie (Toulon) Hugo Auradou (Pau), Demba Bamba (Racing 92), Gaetan Barlot (Castres), Giorgi Beria (Perpignan), Pierre Bourgarit (La Rochelle), Georges-Henri Colombe (La Rochelle), Tyler Duguid (Montpellier), Baptiste Erdocio (Montpellier), Alexandre Fischer (Clermont), Mickael Guillard (Lyon), Matthias Halagahu (Toulon), Paul Mallez (Provence), Guillaume Marchand (Lyon), Regis Montagne (Clermont), Rabah Slimani (Leinster), Romain Taofifenua (Racing 92), Killian Tixeront (Clermont), Jacobus Van Tonder (Perpignan), Theo William (Lyon), Cameron Woki (Racing 92)

Backs (16): Theo Attissogbe (Pau), Leo Barre (Stade Francais), Leo Berdeu (Lyon), Leon Darricarrere (Clermont), Thibault Daubagna (Pau), Alivereti Duguivalu (Perpignan), Gael Fickou (Racing 92), Emilien Gailleton (Pau), Antoine Hastoy (La Rochelle), Baptiste Jauneau (Clermont), Nolann Le Garrec (Racing 92), Theo Millet (Lyon), Joris Segonds (Bayonne), Tom Spring (Bayonne), Cheikh Tiberghien (Bayonne), Gabin Villiere (Toulon)

I.Ko--ThChM