France host Scotland at the Stade de France on Saturday 5 February with Kick-off at 1700 GMT and coverage live on BBC One from 16:35.
France will start the defence of their Six Nations crown with two-thirds of the side that clinched the Grand Slam last year but without Yannick Jauzion, who makes way for Perpignan’s rising star Maxime Mermoz in a much-changed three-quarter line. Yoann Huget, who made his début in the autumn, starts at right wing, Aurelien Rougerie at centre, Damien Traille at full-back, Maxime Medard at left wing.
But the pack and the half-backs are the same units that sealed the 2010 Slam. Imanol Harinordoquy is preferred at number eight to Sebastien Chabal, who is on the bench, with captain Thierry Dusautoir and Julien Bonnaire making up the back row. Julien Pierre gets the nod at lock ahead of Jerome Thion, who is also among the replacements, while the formidable front row on which France’s success was based last year remains intact. Scrum-half Morgan Parra and fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc continue.
Nick De Luca replaces the injured Graeme Morrison at inside centre in one of three Scotland changes for the Six Nations opener against France.Max Evans is preferred to Sean Lamont on the wing and lock Alastair Kellock returns as captain alongside his Glasgow Warriors club-mate Richie Gray. Kellock’s return means Nathan Hines move to blind-side flanker and Kelly Brown switches to number eight.Richie Vernon drops to the bench.
Teams
France: Damien Traille (Biarritz); Yoann Huget (Bayonne), Aurelien Rougerie (Clermont Auvergne), Maxime Mermoz (Perpignan), Maxime Medard (Toulouse); Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Morgan Parra (Clermont Auvergne); Thomas Domingo (Clermont Auvergne), William Servat (Toulouse), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Julien Pierre (Clermont Auvergne), Lionel Nallet (Racing Metro), Thierry Dusautoir (captain, Toulouse), Julien Bonnaire (Clermont Auvergne), Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz).
Replacements: Guilhem Guirado (Perpignan), Luc Ducalcon (Castres), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Sebastien Chabal (Racing Metro), Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), David Skrela (Toulouse), Clement Poitrenaud (Toulouse).
Scotland: Hugo Southwell (Stade Francais), Nikki Walker (Ospreys), Joe Ansbro (Northampton Saints), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh), Max Evans (Glasgow Warriors); Dan Parks (Cardiff Blues) Rory Lawson (Gloucester); Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Euan Murray (Northampton Saints), Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors, capt), Nathan Hines (Leinster), John Barclay (Glasgow Warriors), Kelly Brown (Saracens).
Substitutes: Dougie Hall (Glasgow Warriors), Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors), Richie Vernon (Glasgow Warriors), Ross Rennie (Edinburgh), Mike Blair (Edinburgh), Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Lamont (Scarlets).