Les Bleus have everything to prove in the tournament starting on 31 January, and in November’s Test against the Springboks.

As always, there has been some pre-tournament tinkering with the rules. The Six Nations will adopt the 20-minute red cards that were trialled during the autumn, although referees can still send a player off permanently for deliberate and dangerous acts of foul play.

France head coach Fabien Galthie said on Tuesday the return of captain Antoine Dupont brings an "aura" to the team before they embark on this year's Six Nations. "It's quite a magical competition," former France captain Galthie said.

France head coach Fabien Galthie said today he and his coaches take “complete responsibility” for including two players in his Six Nations squad who were investigated for rape in Argentina before the case was dismissed.

Antoine Dupont returns to Six Nations after a successful Rugby Sevens stint, aiming to lead France to victory. Having skipped last year's contest, he is eager to capitalize on a victorious autumn series.

Fabien Galthie has named an incredibly strong 42-man squad for the Six Nations, as France seek to break Ireland's vice-grip on the title.

Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou have both been included in France's matchday squad to face Wales in the first game of the Six Nations tournament next week.

THE Six Nations 2025 kick-starts this month as England, Ireland, France, Italy, Scotland and Wales battle it out for the ultimate prize. The anticipation continues to build ahead of the

France captain Antoine Dupont said Toulouse's thrashing of Leicester in the Champions Cup was the perfect warm-up for the Six Nations.

France face their trickier biennial Six Nations itinerary in oddly numbered years, with England in Twickenham and Ireland in the Aviva Stadium. Of their six titles since the expansion to the Six Nations, France have won only one championship in odd years.

French rugby union chiefs on Wednesday named the players accused of raping a 39-year-old woman in Argentina during the summer tour of South America in the 42-man squad for the 2025 Six Nations tournament.

In December, the case against the 21-year-olds was dropped after the two forwards had faced accusations in July. Read more at straitstimes.com.