Fritz's call-up is kind of a crowd pleaser, everybody in France was asking for him to play (except Barthelemy, it seems). He's been the best 13 in the Top 14 for two years now, and the one who got the call-up for the 30-man squad at the beginning of the tournament was... his reserve in Toulouse, Yann David.
Fritz is a consistent performer that had a very bad june tour a couple of year aho, which cost him never to be calle dup again by ML. He surely deserves a chance. 28 is not that old (Servat started to be world class not long ago, when he was hitting 30). Bastareaud is not playing well, and David is not nearly as good as Fritz.
I'm glad for Buttin too, but I don't see how the backline is going to be formed... I don't see Fritz and Rougerie playing together, so PSA will have to figure something out.
For the rest of the players, I think it's way too soon to say Mas is too old. He's the most important player for France, IMO. After him, there's a huge void. Ric should start to be called up, and Attoub to be given more minutes. at LHP, we're still waiting for Domingo and Barcella to recover. At hooker, there are many french players who perform consistently in the Top 14 for years... yet we've never seen them in blue. Locks seems complicated... to the point that PSA recalled Julien Pierre! The backrow has the only problem that whoever comes will be compared to one of the most consistent backrows of international rugby in the last years. Lakafia, Picamoles, Nyanga, Ouedraogo, Lapandry, maybe Lauret or Gallan can do the job, but we'll have to wait and see. For the moment, PSA needs to try players!
...I really do not think we should have taken Fritz nor Jauzion at the RWC..I really think that Saint Andre should end the carrier of half of this team : Rougerie, Poitrenaud, Servat, Nallet, Harinordoquy, Dussautoir, Bonnaire, Mas...Or take some of them as substitute or impact player..but that is it. we have to start with freshness, stop to messing around same players who are all playing in 2 french clubs, who are playing 2 seasons in a row with a 3 weeks break, who are playing almost 45 matchs a years...At 30 years old or above, you can't cope with this obviously.
