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France hit by Six Nations injury blow

Paris - Morgan Parra and Sebastien Vahaamahina were on Monday ruled out of France's training camp ahead of the Six Nations and have been replaced by Baptiste Serin and Bernard Le Roux.

Clermont scrumhalf Parra suffered a sprain to his left leg playing in the loss to Bordeaux-Begles in the European Champions Cup which also left teammate Vahaamahina injured.

Bordeaux's Serin, 21, is the tenth uncapped player called up to the training camp, which got underway at Marcoussis, outside Paris on Monday.

Parra, 27, who has 66 caps, underwent tests on Monday, with Vahaamahina, 24, who has 16 caps, also undergoing tests, although his injury was not revealed.

He will be replaced by 26-year-old Racing 92 flanker Le Roux, who has 23 caps, but who was not included in France coach Guy Noves's initial list because he is getting married on February 13, the day of their second match against Ireland.

Montpellier winger Marvin O'Connor has earned a call up into the 31-strong France training squad for the Six Nations tournament following an injury to Benjamin Fall. The 24-year-old O'Connor has played for the France Sevens team but this is his first call up at the top level. The son of an Australian rugby league player who transferred to France, he has also played for his country at youth level. The squad, the first one named by new national coach Guy Noves, will gather Sunday at the French rugby training centre near Paris to begin preparations for France's Six Nations opener against Italy on February 6.

French squad for the Six Nations

Forwards (16):

Eddy Ben Arous (Racing 92), Jefferson Poirot (Bordeaux-Begles), Uini Atonio (La Rochelle), Rabah Slimani (Stade Francais), Guilhem Guirado (Toulon, cap.), Camille Chat (Racing 92), Yoann Maestri (Toulon), Alexandre Flanquart (Stade Francais), Bernard Le Roux (Racing 92), Paul Jedrasiak (Clermont), Yacouba Camara (Toulouse), Damien Chouly (Clermont), Wenceslas Lauret (Racing 92), Louis Picamoles (Toulouse), Antoine Burban (Stade Francais), Kevin Gourdon (La Rochelle).

Backs (15):

Sebastien Bezy (Toulouse), Baptiste Serin (Bordeaux Begles), Maxime Machenaud (Racing 92), Jules Plisson (Stade Francais), Jean-Marc Doussain (Toulouse), Jonathan Danty (Stade Francais), Alexandre Dumoulin (Racing 92), Wesley Fofana (Clermont), Gael Fickou (Toulouse), Remi Lamerat (Castres), Marvin O'Connor (Montpellier), Virimi Vakatawa (FFR), Maxime Mdard (Toulouse), Hugo Bonneval (Stade Francais), Scott Spedding (Clermont)

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