The French have announced the squad which will compete on the Seine in September. New captain, Henri Durozier, has chosen a safe and capable pole oriented team with one new cap, Cristophe Gazannois, who is a Seine specialist and familiar with the levels of line control and presentation required on this river.

The rest of the team are:
Jean-Pierre Fougeat: Jean-Pierre is the most successful of the modern generation of French anglers (post-Tesse, he started way back in the 1970's with the likes of Heaps, Marks and Ashurst. Unlike them he has maintained his team position and stayed at the top of international fishing. This year sees the end of his top flight career as JP will be retiring after Paris. The French will miss him... but the rest of the world just may breath a sigh of relief!
Diego da Silva: Diego is a true Seine specialist and is the brains behind our recent Lollipop article. He has the temperament to win at the highest level and is a real contender for an individual medal!
Didier Guessard: Didier is another Paris based angler who knows the Seine well. Regarded by many as the best all round angler in France, Didier has been the rock in the French team over the last decade or more and on his home water will take some beating!
Gilles Caudin: Gilles is without doubt the most consistent angler in France over the last 5 years. His record in the 1st Division Champs proves this and he is a master of long pole bloodworm fishing on deep rivers.
Jean Desque: Jean needs little introduction as he too has been a central figure in the French team over the last decade. His knowledge of the floats and techniques needed on 'Seine type' venues is excellent and he will be hoping that this year will fulfil his promise and win an individual gold!

This is a strong team with a definite Northern French/Pole technician bias. Gone are the more flamboyant Southern all rounders like Berlioux - Henri's is a team that is taking no chances on home soil. Can they be beaten? I think that the venue is their biggest danger. It is as yet not fully tested with some sectors unfished since last year. August will see the start of serious training and if the river fishes consistently, either consistently well or consistently badly - it doesn't matter which - the French will be difficult to stop, however if it becomes unfair... anything could happen!