TEAM COMPOSITION

FRA / France - Team Composition

Team manager	Castan Gérard
Head coach	Blain Philippe
Assistant coach	Trillon Jocelyn
Doctor	Blanc Jacques
Therapist / trainer	Andréa Jean-Paul
Journalist	Baillou Nicolas

	No.	Name	Lastname	Shirt Name	Birthdate	Height	Weight	Spike	Block
	1	José	Trèfle	Trefle	16.01.1980	198	92	352	325
L	2	Jenia	Grebennikov	Grebennikov	13.08.1990	188	74	345	330
	3	Gérald	Hardy-Dessources	Hardy-Dessources	09.02.1983	197	93	360	335
	4	Antonin	Rouzier	Rouzier	18.08.1986	201	100	350	330
	5	Romain	Vadeleux	Vadeleux	12.02.1983	196	100	355	335
	6	Benjamin	Toniutti	Toniutti	30.10.1989	183	74	320	300
	7	Nicolas	Marechal	Marechal	04.03.1987	198	83	331	316
	8	Marien	Moreau	Moreau	25.10.1983	201	100	345	328
	9	Guillaume	Samica	Samica	28.09.1981	198	84	355	327
	10	Jean-Philippe	Sol	Sol	01.01.1986	198	92	345	325
	11	Julien	Lyneel	Lyneel	15.04.1990	192	85	340	320
	12	Earvin	Ngapeth	Ngapeth	12.02.1991	194	93	358	327
C	13	Pierre	Pujol	Pujol	13.07.1984	186	90	335	315
	14	Toafa	Takaniko	Takaniko	29.05.1985	192	88	340	330
	15	Samuele	Tuia	Tuia	24.07.1986	195	95	345	325
	16	Kevin	Tillie	Tillie	02.11.1990	198	75	345	325
	17	Horacio	d'Almeida	d'Almeida	11.06.1988	200	100	355	330
	18	Jean-François	Exiga	Exiga	09.03.1982	176	75	320	312
	19	Baptiste	Geiler	Geiler	12.03.1987	198	83	335	313
	20	Kevin	Le Roux	Le Roux	11.05.1989	209	95	365	340
	21	Yannick	Bazin	Bazin	18.06.1983	190	95	337	315
	22	Edouard	Rowlandson	Rowlandson	20.07.1988	190	89	330	310
	23	Marc	Zopie	Zopie	31.05.1987	198	87	368	328
	24	Ludovic	Castard	Castard	18.01.1983	195	85	344	321
	25	Xavier	Kapfer	Kapfer	07.11.1981	191	96	354	320

C=Captain L=Libero

Team profile

France finished second behind Brazil in the 2006 FIVB World League after several years of success, but they have struggled to live up to the early promise of the past decade. In 2008, France failed to qualify for the Olympic Games and Philippe Blain's team ended a disappointing 10th in the 2008 World League. In the 2009 World League they narrowly missed making the Final Six after falling at the last hurdle to Argentina. However, they turned things around and qualified for the World Championship in Poland, before winning silver at the European Championships. They suffered heartbreak again in the 2010 World League when they were pipped to the Final Round and eventually finished 12th. At the World Championship in Italy later in the year they could only go one better, coming in 11th before again finishing 12th at the 2011 World League and seventh at the 2011 European Championship.

France took the bronze medal at the 2002 World Championship, their first appearance in the tournament in 12 years, and moved up to fifth in the FIVB World Rankings. They then went on to take silver at the 2003 European Championship.

Coach profile

Philippe Blain, who enjoyed a successful playing career from 1980 to 1991, has been coach of France since 2001. Highlights of the 50-year-old’s coaching career with France include a bronze medal at the 2002 World Championship in Argentina, silver at the 2003 and 2009 European Championship, qualification for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and silver at the 2006 World League Finals. However, the team failed to capitalize on their silver medal at the 2009 European Championships, finishing a disappointing 11th at the 2010 World Championship in Italy and 12th in the last two World Leagues.