Returning: Mathieu Bastareaud
Toulon centre Mathieu Bastareaud will start at outside centre for France in one of two changes for Saturday's game with Wales.
Bastareaud comes in for Florian Fritz, who drops to the bench, reuniting him with Toulon team-mate Maxime Mermoz in midfield.
The other change sees Toulon lock Jocelino Suta replace the injured Pascal Papé to partner Yoann Maestri.
Thierry Dusautoir, France's captain during the previous Six Nations campaign, is named skipper in Papé's absence as France look to bounce back from last weekend's shock 23-18 defeat against Italy in Rome.
France: 15 Yoann Huget, 14 Wesley Fofana, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Benjamin Fall, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Jocelino Suta, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Yannick Forestier
Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Luc Ducalcon, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Damien Chouly, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Francois Trinh-Duc, 23 Florian Fritz.
Date: Saturday, February 9:
Venue: Stade de France
Kick-off: 18.00 local (17.00 GMT)
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Francisco Pastrana (Argentina)
Television match official: Giulio De Santis (Italy)
Comments
Iyhel says...
@ Davoust: French coaches have survived half-centuries humiliations home and away to NZ or Oz...
Posted 10:44 08th February 2013
Lucasrg says...
unbelivable!
What a waste Fofana is at 14...and where is Pouitrenaud when he is much better of Huget...move him to the wing, Fofana at 12 and then u have a better squad.
Posted 21:34 07th February 2013
Davoust says...
I hope France's only win will be Scotland, so that PSA gets out and they'll have a proper coach, maybe a foreign one. It's not too late, because France must build a team to win the world cup, on the other hand England goes stronger and stronger. So many players out of position, no changes when they lose (Toulouse does the same for the last two seasons already), half of the team is pathetically mediocre, and the worst - no hope for the future, only the long championship laments. If PSA survives 6 Nations, he will hopefully be crashed in New Zeeland to return to some club affairs.
Posted 19:47 07th February 2013
Rosbif says...
pierredelot1, lacrocix, melkdave, thanks for responding, I guess in hindsight I was being a little melodramatic!! I agree with your sentiments. It's indeed hard to find the right balance between winning games today, and blooding the youngsters. Dusautoir, Pape, Mas and Clerc, as you say, all deserve to be the "oldies" in the 2015 team, because one always needs that blend of youth and experience, and front five players especially tend to mature like fine wine. I just can't get my head around PSA picking players out of position, or not trying to use more club combinations to improve the "automatismes". I guess he's started to address that by picking Basta over Fritz, but the irony of course is that Michalak-Mermoz-Basta may be an all-Toulon 10-12-13, but they have never played in that combo at club level.
...compare that to Sexton-Darcy-BOD, for example.....
Anyway, let's hope the players make us proud on Saturday. ALLEZ!!!
P.S. I forgot Brice Dulin (and probably many others) from my earlier post - he's another great prospect :-)
Posted 17:41 07th February 2013
lacroix says...
@rosbif- thats a great looking 'development' team...and i agree with more or less all of it. however, i think PSA would be a brave man to go all the way to that now..he wil want to salvage pride from the remaining 4 games ...still more youth would be nice to see, and its not as if the old hands performed well on sunday.
very disappointed that fofana remains out of position- and do not understand excluding medard from saturdays team.
also rather concerned that the all too often very poor Clancy is ref on saturday.
Posted 16:36 07th February 2013
pierredelot1 says...
Mm Rosbif you've got a lotta Toulousain in there and they are either injured or just not on form. Huget great in attack but not in defence. Medard, last time I saw him against Biarritz was woeful, Fickou injured. David usually injured. Maestri still not able to dominate a match (Compared to Albicete). So yes some changes, but not too many and not too quick. Wouldn't get rid of Dussauttoir that easily either, there are many good players around but he is class, same goes for Clerc. Trouble with this as with all French teams is "It depends on who turns up on the day" that mentality really has to change, but at home its usually spot on.
Posted 16:32 07th February 2013
melkdave says...
@Rosbif
Have to say just love your squad ,real potential and class everywhere imo,As to the rest of the things you want .Well i cant see it hapening until the LNR lose a bit of power to the FFR to be honest.
Posted 15:37 07th February 2013
Rosbif says...
Grand slam is gone. I would have liked to see PSA really ring the changes and, like Lancaster, start the process of building a team for RWC 2015. Get a proper elite player system negotiated with the T14 clubs with mandatory pre-season break, max number of games per season, prep time before test matches etc etc
Then get these names nailed down:
1 Ben Arrous 2 Toloufua 3 Ducalcon/Domingo 4 Maestri 5 Taofifenua/Samson 6 Gunther/Ouedraogo 7 Lauret 8 Picamoles/Chouly 9 Parra/Machenaud 10 Plisson/T-Duc 11 O'Connor 12 Fofana/David 13 Fickou/Bastareaud 14 Huget/Fall 15 Buttin/Medard
As tempting as it might be, PSA should no longer be picking Mas, Szarzewski, Forestier, Debaty, Pape, Dusautoir, Harinordoquy, Yachvilli, Michalak, Fritz, Rougerie, Clerc, Poitrenaud etc etc.
Come on PSA. Pull your finger out. You can do it!!!!!
Posted 14:44 07th February 2013
makemehappy says...
No logic in this team at all! In addition to the comments already made, I'm far from convinced about Forestier too - was awful beyond belief when I saw him play for Castres!
Posted 13:11 07th February 2013
pierredelot1 says...
I thought St Andre would be an improvement, but am beginning to have my doubts. No problems bringing in Basteraud but keeping Mermoz in there and confining Fofana to the wing is a real mistake. Last year he was a sensation for France, ran, passed well, made breaks, the whole package, why confine such talent to the wings which offer so much less. Problem of course is that France have lost a bucketful of wings to injury this season. Fred at 10 was always a gamble, despite his popularity at club level and his exciting style, if you want someone to be a general and run the show, its just not him. He plays far more often at 9 in Toulon and plays second fiddle to both Giteau and Wilkinson at 10. However the single biggest loss to this French side is the retirement of Servat, the replacements are good, but only good, he was class and like at Toulouse, France really miss him. A new number 2 must be found. France should win at home, expecially against a side that has become as flakey as this Welsh team, but there is talent in the Welsh lineup, its just having difficulty showng itself. Could be a great game though.
Posted 12:56 07th February 2013
IronManI441 says...
Totally agree with picking Basta and Fofana in the centres, stick Benjamin Fall and Hughet at wings, sadly PSA didn't see fit to bring a fullback (injuries I know but come on, bring Poitreneaud) so I guess Trinh Duc at 15. 1 player out of position then rather than 2 and fofana sees more of the ball.
Posted 12:19 07th February 2013
gnlr says...
Never mind v Tuilagi, just let Jonathan Davis get his blitz timing wrong again and see what happens.
I agree Fofana should play centre and Parra No 9. No brainer.
Posted 11:55 07th February 2013
Spartacus says...
PS - forgot say that Bastareaud is a fatty, but he is a rarity in that he is an exciting centre - not often seen in the France team. Fofana was far too exciting as a centre so they shunted him to the wing. Maybe he should eat pies until he is too fat to be a winger and then they will pick him at centre again.
Bastareaud is going to have to get up fast and make first hit tackles - and his back row are going to have to work hard to cover him and the out of position players.
Posted 11:50 07th February 2013
shrimps says...
ArmchairGeneral
haha will be fantastic. cant wait. odriscoll v tuilagi. basteraud v tuilagi. 6 nations is fantastic, whatever your hemisphere.
Posted 11:42 07th February 2013
benski says...
@paddy91317.... "Para would start for the All Blacks".... what as, Ball Boy?
Posted 11:41 07th February 2013
Bash says...
What is wrong with PSA? I used to always defend him but dropping Fritz to the bench just does not make any sense... watch the Italy game again, he did not put a foot wrong and put in some crushing hits!
Also Trinh-duc has been on top form for Montpellier (watch the Heineken cup highlights), what has he done to deserve this demotion?
Posted 10:52 07th February 2013
mlbp says...
@Spartacus
Parra slows the team down usually. He played with urgency at the end of the Italy match but that's not his style. Machenaud is faster, his delivery is quick and he likes to dart around the edges so he keeps the defence guessing. He may not have Parra's kicking abilities but to me he is the kind of scrum half France needs with Michalak or Trinh-Duc as fly halves, who need ball on the front foot. Parra and Trinh-Duc didn't gel because Trinh-Duc always get the ball with the defence standing and not scrambling. That's what Machenaud can give to this team. Maybe as an impact substitution Parra can be useful but right now I personally prefer Machenaud.
About Bastareaud, I never liked him much. Fritz is a good defender and can open holes with his direct running, but Bastareaud was a bit suspect when it ccame to work rate in defence and I cannot remember him offloading when he played with Lievremont. I hope he has changed.
I would have gone for a Fofana-Mermoz centre partnership with Huget on the wing, and (sadly) Trinh-Duc as fullback. Crazy, but not crazier than the back line PSA proposes.
Posted 10:45 07th February 2013
froggy73 says...
Same players playing out of their normal position in the back = Another likely loss for France.
Maybe then PSA will bother opening his eyes and then see something is wrong somewhere.
Posted 10:43 07th February 2013
carpelone says...
Why Fofana is not a 12 is beyond me.
Posted 10:42 07th February 2013
melkdave says...
OH COM ON W.Fontana starting again on the wing??I just dont understand that decision at all .Acombination of him and Bastareud just looks to good to me to pass up on,but PSA can??Also D.Szarzewski starting after his performance in Rome again.The rest of the team i can understand,but those decisions baffal me.Hoping its going to be another classic match against Wales this weekend,both countries will be smarting,and need a victory.France are very different animals at home,and have had a full weeks training ,but they still suffer that question mark of which team team wil show up.Something i thought PSA had solved in the aurtum.While Walesneed to start guns blazing,and pumped up to battle hard from the 1st second,something they really struggle with.All being even i do expect a french victory though by 10 points .Though im hoping im wrong and Wales nick it.
Posted 10:33 07th February 2013