"France coach Guy Noves on Tuesday called up five uncapped players for his first 30-strong squad that also featured half-back pairing Francois Trinh-Duc and Maxime Machenaud.
The five new faces are Toulouse scrumhalf Sebastien Bezy and flanker Yacouba Camara, Stade Francais centre Jonathan Danty, Clermont lock Paul Jedrasiak and Bordeaux-Begles prop Jefferson Poirot.
Montpellier's Trinh-Duc and Stade Francais flyhalf Jules Plisson, along with Racing 92's Machenaud, were all named in the squad which will meet up with the new coaching team on January 4 despite not featuring in the World Cup.
Other players who did not feature in the tournament under Noves' predecessor Philippe Saint-Andre are Clermont lock Sebastien Vahaamahina, Bordeaux-Begles flank Loann Goujon and Castres centre Remi Lamerat, who like Trinh-Duc had all just missed the cut.
Fullback/wings Hugo Bonneval (Stade Francais), Benjamin Fall (Montpellier) and Maxime Medard (Toulouse), and Racing flank Wenceslas Lauret all make their return to international duty.
Noves, however, has discarded several players who featured for France in their disastrous World Cup campaign, which ended with a 62-13 quarter-final thrashing by eventual champions New Zealand.
Among the backs, centre Mathieu Bastareaud, fullback Brice Dulin, flyhalf Remi Tales, scrumhalves Rory Kockott and Sebastien Tillous-Borde, and wings Sofiane Guitoune and Noa Nakaitaci all failed to make the cut. Up front, flanks Yannick Nyanga and Fulgence Ouedraogo are joined on the sidelines by prop Vincent Debaty.
After their introductory day at the French federation's headquarters in Marcoussis, south of Paris, a second day is organised for January 11, the squad list for which will be announced five days previously. The squad for the first game of the Six Nations, against Italy on February 6, will be unveiled on January 19.
Forwards (16)
Uini Atonio, Eddy Ben Arous, Rabah Slimani, Jefferson Poirot, Benjamin Kayser, Yacouba Camara, Damien Chouly, Alexandre Flanquart, Loann Goujon, Guilhem Guirado, Paul Jedrasiak, Wenceslas Lauret, Bernard Le Roux, Yoann Maestri, Louis Picamoles, Sebastien Vahaamahina
Backs (14)
Sebastien Bezy, Hugo Bonneval, Jonathan Danty, Alexandre Dumoulin, Benjamin Fall, Gael Fickou, Wesley Fofana, Remi Lamerat, Maxime Machenaud, Maxime Medard, Morgan Parra, Jules Plisson, Scott Spedding, Francois Trinh-Duc.
It is clear that the French are busy with along-overdue team renewal programme and that the result could only represent an improvement of the team. The geriatrics are gone and a number of new faces are in evidence.
This represents a real clean-up move to improve the team for the future.
The need for SA t go the same road with a new coach is evident. However, it this stage there are no real move on the appointment of a new SA coach and that remains a problem for the future,
