France are set to include a former South Africa Under-20 international in their Nations Championship squad, despite the fact that he is not yet eligible to represent them on the pitch.

Stade Français centre Jeremy Ward has reportedly been named in Fabien Galthié's 42-man squad, marking his first call-up to the French national team.

According to L'Equipe, Ward has been selected in place of Bordeaux centre Nicolas Depoortere, who is expected to miss out.

The 30-year-old joined Stade Français in 2022 and will complete his five-year residency period in 2027. This means he could become eligible to play for France at next year's Rugby World Cup.

However, Ward will not be able to make his international debut during the upcoming campaign. He is therefore unavailable for France's clash with his country of birth, South Africa, on November 13.

Before moving to Paris, Ward spent his entire professional career in South Africa, representing the Sharks and Southern Kings among other sides.

He also captained South Africa Under-20s at the 2016 World Rugby Under-20 Championship in England.

Ward scored two tries in a 59-19 win over Japan in the opening match and helped the Junior Springboks reach the semi-finals.

South Africa were beaten by England in the last four before losing to Argentina in the third-place play-off, leaving them fourth in the tournament.

Ward's inclusion in the squad will give Galthié a chance to assess the centre during training and observe how he fits into the group.

This could help the France head coach decide whether he has a future role to play ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

Speaking to RMC Sport last week about the possibility of one day representing Les Bleus, Ward said: "I think it's a bit difficult because I was part of the under-20 team, I'm capped.

"And in the centres of the French national team, there are a lot of players, some very, very good players. I'm not going to say that if I change my sporting nationality, I'll be in the team, that's not the case. But if an opportunity comes up, maybe."

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