By Matt Findlay

France equal the most ever Rugby World Cup (RWC) games played, they’ve never failed to pass the group stage and thrice finished runners-up, but the William Web Ellis trophy remains Les Bleus’ most elusive prize.

With France’s quest for its first RWC win set to kick off against Italy in just over two weeks, head coach Phillipe Saint-Andre is under heavy fire after announcing a strong, but controversial 31-man squad for the 2015 tournament.

Pooled in a difficult group with Six Nations champions Ireland and Italy, France will face the prospect of trying to win a RWC without one of their best players from the 2011 tournament, in which they finished second, in five-eighth Francois Trinh-Duc.

The experienced first five was left out in favour of Remi Talès and veteran playmaker Frederic Michalak, who is now France’s all-time point-scorer and gives Les Bleus a third goal-kicking option along with Morgan Parra and Rory Kockott.

“We wanted to include three top goal-kickers and they were Michalak, Parra and Rory Kockott,” Saint-André said.

“Trinh-Duc has worked hard on that aspect of his game, but in the end Michalak and Talès have been with the group more often than him and Talès is solid defensively.”

Prop Xavier Chiocci, lock Sebastien Vahaamahina, back-row forward Yoann Goujon and centre Remi Lamerat were also left out after France’s warm-up win over England.

Crucially, the French are showing sterling scrum form leading into the RWC, a facet of the game plenty are suggesting will go a long way to deciding the victor, although they face a difficult pool stage alongside Italy and Ireland.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Wesley Fofana (centre)

He’s been labelled a genius on more than one occasion, is nicknamed ‘The Cheetah’ thanks to his blinding pace, and as a result French centre Wesley Fofana will attract plenty of attention from opposition defensive lines.

He’ll demand it too.

It’s not just Fofana’s terrifying turn of pace which makes him a danger, his prodigious talent and strength in contact make him just as threatening and he’s taken international rugby by storm since he scored a try on debut against Italy.

He’s since earned 35 caps for France, and should be one of Saint-Andre’s first-choice centres come Les Bleus’ opening game against Italy.

SQUAD

Forwards: Uini Atonio, Eddy Ben Arous, Vincent Debaty, Nicolas Mas, Rabah Slimani, Guilhem Guirado, Benjamin Kayser, Dimitri Szarzewski, Alexandre Flanquart, Yoann Maestri, Pascal Papé, Thierry Dusautoir (captain), Bernard le Roux, Yannick Nyanga, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Damien Chouly, Louis Picamoles.

Backs: Rory Kockott, Morgan Parra, Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Frédéric Michalak, Remi Talès, Mathieu Bastareaud, Alexandre Dumoulin, Gael Fickou, Wesley Fofana, Sofiane Guitoune, Yoann Huget, Noa Nakaitaci, Brice Dulin, Scott Spedding.

FIXTURES

Saturday, September 19: vs Italy; Twickenham, London; 8pm

Wednesday, September 23: vs Romania; The Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London; 8pm

Thursday, October 1: vs Canada; Stadiummk, Milton Keynes; 8pm

Sunday, October 11: vs Ireland; Millennium Stadium, Cardiff; 4.45pm