Esteban Capilla France rugby squad selection, Digi Mart USA News: Flanker Esteban Capilla, 23, will be on the bench for France against Fiji this Saturday at 9:10 p.m. in Lyon, according to the source report.
The selection by coach Fabien Galthié marks his first match-day squad call-up for the national team.
His Aviron Bayonnais teammates praised the news on Thursday. Swan Cormenier said the selection was “amply deserved,” while left prop Cormenier and others expressed pride in the player’s work ethic and character.
Capilla had been pursuing his first France appearance for months, including several trips to the Marcoussis training center and a summer tour in the Southern Hemisphere where he did not earn a cap. He was called up after injury to Rochelais flanker Oscar Jegou.
Teammate Camille Lopez said Capilla had returned from earlier call-ups frustrated but determined to prove he could compete at the highest level. Centre Guillaume Martocq, who will start for Aviron on Sunday, said the call-up was logical given Capilla’s talent and daily work.
Capilla won the 2023 U20 Rugby World Cup without playing in the final and the World Series Sevens shortly afterward, but missed the Paris Olympics. In June he told the magazine Raffut that he was not satisfied, and that the France squad had been a stated goal.
Talonneur Lucas Martin said he was happy for his friend, who will leave Bayonne at the end of the season to join Toulouse. Martin said the selection was good for the club and the region and that he expects Capilla to perform well on Saturday.
