There remain plenty of if, buts, maybes and caveats, with injuries depriving Galthie of a number of players who would otherwise expect to be in the reckoning for the first squad of the autumn, including Posolo Tuilagi and Romain Ntamack.
But three names on the release list stood out: Charles Ollivon, Jonathan Danty, and Maxime Lucu.
Toulon's Ollivon was the most surprising name on the list. He was Galthie's first captain back in 2020 and only very rarely has had a sub-par game in national colours.
Maybe age he is 31 - has counted against him for these autumn Tests. But, he has long appeared untouchable as far as France are concerned.
Clearly, that's no longer the case.
In releasing Ollivon and keeping Toulouse's less-demonstrative but no less effective Alexandre Roumat -a 27-year-old stripling - Galthie has lost nothing and gained the prospect of developing a player more likely to make the plane to Australia in 2027.
Lucu, it's clear, has slipped down the scrum-half rankings below Nolann Le Garrec. But the Racing 92 scrum-half went for tests on Saturday after picking up a knee injury in training. Conditioning coach Nicolas Jeanjean insisted in an interview with Midi Olympique that it's, 'not serious' - but word is that Le Garrec could be out for 10 days, meaning he will miss the match against Japan and may be a doubt for the Test against New Zealand a week later.
Lucu would then move up the rankings again into the Antoine Dupont understudy role, with either Baptiste Serin or Baptiste Couilloud expected to be called up as cover.
This story is from the November 03, 2024 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 03, 2024 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Edwards gives Gatland a little to think about
A TERRIFIC effort from Ospreys should have seen victory and it was rough justice that high-flying Cardiff escaped with an undeserved draw.
Cowan-Dickie: I'm back and buzzing
LUKE Cowan-Dickie's journey back to the pinnacle of rugby is nothing short of extraordinary.
Clow keeps Rams in touch at the top
RAMS inward approach is paying dividends with the club involved in another title race thanks in part to free scoring flyer Zachary Clow.
Powell powers over to take Quins home
PLAYMAKER Kayleigh Powell powered past four defenders to score the eighth Harlequins try and narrowly edge out a spirited Trailfinders side to secure a late comeback win in a 15-try derby thriller.
Hathaway can follow Zam Skivington
GEORGE Skivington has backed Josh Hathaway to continue to go from strength to strength as the young winger attempts to follow in the slipstream of Louis Rees-Zammit and be a big hit for club and country.
Hybrid Hash will tie Borthwick in knots
THE description 'Hybrid Central Contracts' does not inspire confidence. Hybrid usually means a bit of this, and a bit of that — and 'Hybrid Hash' would be a more apt term for the RFU contracts given to 17 England players just before the autumn series slump.
Quins leave it late to power past Falcons
MARCUS Smith showed his class on Friday night, being an imperious creator and finisher as Harlequins romped to an emphatic five-try victory on Tyneside.
We need to see a complete shake-up
A NEW year and change is on the way across many aspects of the game, not least with the possibility of an SGM creating a complete change at the RFU.
Cool McBryde steals it for RGC
BILLY McBryde held his nerve to land a last kick of the match conversion to snatch a stunning 4139 win for RGC over leaders Ebbw Vale at Parc Eirias.
Century of highs for La Rochelle
AN IMPRESSIVE milestone at Stade Marcel Deflandre was reached last night, where La Rochelle hosted their 100th sell-out match in a row – either side of the period of pandemic restrictions – a run stretching back to January 2, 2016.