Bernard Laporte has plumped for an untried centre partnership of Yannick Jauzion and Ludovic Valbon for Saturday after a foot injury ruled out his first-choice centre Damien Traille.

Cédric Heymans returns on the wing for the injured Aurélien Rougerie, but bizarrely the France coach has four locks in his 22 and no specialist full-back or wing on the bench.