In 2008 French coach
Marc Lievremont sprung a surprise when he called up Barcella for the
2008 Six Nations Championship match against
Italy at the
Stade de France. He was also called up to the
Wales game a week later. He featured again in the Autumn against
Argentina. During the
2009 Six Nations Championship, he was in competition with
Sale prop
Lionel Faure for the starting job, which he obtained, making big performances. He played at the
2011 Rugby World Cup squad in
New Zealand. He was later called for test matches against
New Zealand and
Australia in June, where he made a number of standout performances. Barcella is often seen as one of the best loose head props in the world, his ability to destroy his opposite number in the scrum and cause havoc around the pitch with his brute aggression often sets him apart from his peers. ==Notes==