France head coach Fabien Galthie said on Tuesday he and his coaches take "complete responsibility" for including two players in his Six Nations squad who were investigated for rape in Argentina before the case was dismissed.

France head coach Fabien Galthie said on Tuesday the return of captain Antoine Dupont brings an "aura" to the team before they embark on this year's Six Nations. "It's quite a magical competition," former France captain Galthie said.

Fabien Galthie has named an incredibly strong 42-man squad for the Six Nations, as France seek to break Ireland's vice-grip on the title.

As always, there has been some pre-tournament tinkering with the rules. The Six Nations will adopt the 20-minute red cards that were trialled during the autumn, although referees can still send a player off permanently for deliberate and dangerous acts of foul play.

Ugo Monye and Chris Jones speak to all the Six Nations head coaches at the launch in Rome

French rugby union chiefs on Wednesday named the players accused of raping a 39-year-old woman in Argentina during the summer tour of South America in the 42-man squad for the 2025 Six Nations tournament.

France face their trickier biennial Six Nations itinerary in oddly numbered years, with England in Twickenham and Ireland in the Aviva Stadium. Of their six titles since the expansion to the Six Nations, France have won only one championship in odd years.

France captain Antoine Dupont said Toulouse's thrashing of Leicester in the Champions Cup was the perfect warm-up for the Six Nations.

THE Six Nations 2025 kick-starts this month as England, Ireland, France, Italy, Scotland and Wales battle it out for the ultimate prize. The anticipation continues to build ahead of the

Antoine Dupont returns to Six Nations after a successful Rugby Sevens stint, aiming to lead France to victory. Having skipped last year's contest, he is eager to capitalize on a victorious autumn series.

A toe injury has ruled the winger out of the Championship's curtain-raiser against Wales on Friday, January 31st.

In December, the case against the 21-year-olds was dropped after the two forwards had faced accusations in July. Read more at straitstimes.com.