Laporte axes Gelez, Califano

FRANCE coach Bernard Laporte, still bitter after defeat to Ireland, resisted making sweeping changes to his squad of 22 to play Italy in the Six Nations Championship in Rome on March 23.

Thu, 13 Mar, 2003 - 00:00

Andrew Baldock

But he dropped flyhalf Francois Gelez and recalled 20-year-old Frederic Michalak who has won all but two of his six caps at scrumhalf.

Laporte axes Gelez, Califano Injured Hodgson likely to miss World Cup Andrew Baldock

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Rugby Six Nations Place: Rome Place: scrumhalf Place: Dublin Place: Australia Place: Twickenham Place: Murrayfield Place: New Zealand Person: Laporte Person: Gelez Person: Califano Person: Bernard Laporte Person: François Gelez Person: Frederic Michalak Person: Hodgson Person: Andrew Baldock Person: Michalak Person: Bourgoin Person: Olivier Milloud Person: Christian Califano Person: Galthie Person: Dimitri Yachvili Person: Charlie Hodgson Person: Jonny Wilkinson Person: Clive Woodward Person: Martin Johnson Person: Wilkinson Person: Johnson Person: Woodward Person: Ben Cohen Person: Jason Robinson Person: Trevor Woodman Person: Neil Back Person: Jonah Lomu Person: Kieran Crowley Person: Lomu Person: Crowley Event: Six Nations Championship Event: 1999 World Cup Event: World Cup Event: RBS Six Nations Event: Super 12 Event: 1999 World Cups Organisation: Ireland Organisation: Italy Organisation: France A Organisation: England Organisation: Leicester Organisation: Scotland Organisation: Wales Organisation: Hurricanes

<p>Pictured is Aer Lingus College Football Classic ambassador Ian Madigan ahead of this year's game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the UNC Tar Heels, taking place at Aviva Stadium on Saturday, 29 August 2026. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile</p>

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