Bernard Laporte has chosen to play Lionel Beauxis at fly-half with centre Damien Traille at full-back for the World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Saturday, 6 October, Kick-off: 2000 BST. There are also eight changes to the side that beat Georgia 64-7 in the final pool match. Fly-half Frederic Michalak is on the bench with regular full-back Clement Poitrenaud and lock or back row Sebastien Chabal. Pelous, France’s most-capped player with 116 Test appearances, is in ahead of Lionel Nallet to play alongside Jerome Thion in the second row, while Julien Bonnaire, Thierry Dusautoir and Serge Betsen form the back row. Vincent Clerc and Cedric Heymans are the wings ahead of Christophe Dominici and Aurelien Rougerie. Yannick Jauzion and David Marty continue in midfield with Jean-Baptiste Elissalde starting at scrum-half.
France Team V New Zealand
Backs: Traille, Clerc, Marty, Jauzion, Heymans, Beauxis, Elissalde.
Forwards: Milloud, Ibanez (C), De Villiers, Pelous, Thion, Betsen, Dusautoir, Bonnaire.
Replacements: Szarzewski, Poux, Chabal, Harinordoquy, Michalak, Dominici, Poitrenau