Lievremont: Chabal axe down to form

Sebastien Chabal was left out of France’s provisional World Cup squad for sporting rather than political reasons, according to national team boss Marc Lievremont.

The 33-year-old number eight has been omitted from the 32-man panel under consideration for the tournament in New Zealand in September, along with the Toulouse duo of Yannick Jauzion and Clement Poitrenaud.