Two changes from Wallabies

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Australia have made two changes to their starting XV for the Trophée des Bicentenaries clash with France, as Sekope Kepu and Kane Douglas start.

While Kepu and Douglas did feature prominently during last month's drawn Bledisloe Cup Test against the All Blacks in Brisbane, both players were injected into the game from the bench on that occasion. Selection this Saturday has seen the players who featured in that contest rewarded.

The only changes from the matchday squad that halted the All Blacks' 16-Test winning charge see Rob Simmons join the bench in place of the injured Sitaleki Timani, while Berrick Barnes returns from injury to take over from winger Drew Mitchell as one of two backline replacements.

Success this weekend will see the Wallabies tie Australia's previous best winning sequence against France: the six wins on the run achieved between 1993 and 2000.

Waratahs winger Adam Ashley-Cooper and Brumbies hooker Stephen Moore, who returns from injury via the bench, are the only players involved on Saturday night who have featured in all of the previous wins achieved by the Wallabies against France during the current sequence, which began in 2008.

A further three players named today: skipper Nathan Sharpe, prop Benn Robinson and the backline reserve Barnes, featured in four of those five wins.

"Obviously you adjust things a little bit to cater for a particular opposition but we have had the benefit of some continuity leading into this match, which hasn't always been the case for us this year," Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says.

"There was a lot of good stuff to come out of our last outing, but there were also plenty of things that we could have done better. We've talked about that in the time since. While the effort of the players couldn't be faulted [on that occasion], the accuracy of our execution failed us at times, and will need to be better for the challenges ahead if we are to achieve the consistency of performance we are seeking."

An encouraging sight at training this week has been the view of winger Digby Ioane (knee), flanker David Pocock (knee), prop Ben Alexander (wrist) and lock Timani (lower back) all involved fully as they work towards availability, most likely for next week's Cook Cup Test against England at Twickenham Stadium in London.

The addition of the quartet will provide further selection options at the back end of a year where personnel choices have sometimes been limited by injury.

"Certainly we have more competition for places now than we have had at times previously, and that's only going to help drive standards and performance," Deans said.

"The playing group are excited and they are looking forward to the game this weekend. The atmosphere at the Stade de France is always fantastic and the crowd vociferous: it's a great place to play the game, and a magnificent experience that none of the players who are fortunate enough to put on a jersey on the weekend will ever forget."

Although he returns via the bench, Stephen Moore will achieve a notable career milestone if required to take the field.

The Brumbies hooker tied Jeremy Paul as Australia's most capped hooker when he appeared in his 72nd Test during Australia's Bledisloe Cup Test in Auckland at the end of August.

Moore was set to surpass Paul two weeks later, when named to face South Africa in Perth, but strained his hamstring at training in the lead-up to the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate defence, and has not been available since.

One of his previous 72 Test caps was earned the last time the Wallabies appeared in Paris, where Moore started as Australia beat France by a record 59-16 scoreline two years ago.

Rugby Union betting odds

Australia: 15 Mike Harris, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Ben Tapuai, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Kane Douglas, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 James Slipper, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Radike Samo, 21 Liam Gill, 22 Brett Sheehan, 23 Berrick Barnes.

Date: Saturday, November 10
Kick-off: 21:00 local (20:00 GMT)
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: John Lacey (Ireland), Neil Paterson (Scotland)
Television match official: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)