Backs Damian Penaud and Matthieu Jalibert were axed from France's team to play Italy on Sunday in the Six Nations, paying the price for poor performances against England. The decision by coach Fabien Galthié on Friday came after Les Tricolores made sloppy handling errors and missed tackles in a 26-25 loss at Twickenham two weeks ago.

France head coach Fabien Galthié swung the axe on star players Mathieu Jalibert and Damien Penaud as part of his attempt to relaunch his squad's tilt for the 2025 Six Nations title in Italy on Sunday.

Fabien Galthie has swung the selection axe and made drastic changes for the clash against Italy.

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France coach Fabien Galthie has swung the selection axe after his side’s Six Nations defeat to England with wing Damian Penaud and fly half Matthieu Jalibert omitted for the encounter with Italy. The pair are among those to pay the price for an error-ridden performance at Twickenham that saw France’s hopes of a grand slam go up in smoke.

The decision came after Les Tricolores made sloppy handling errors and missed tackles in a 26-25 loss at Twickenham two weeks ago as Galthie also opts for a Springboks-style 7-1 split on the bench