Share

France bench Jauzion, Chabal

Paris - Veteran centre Yannick Jauzion has been left out of the French team to take on Scotland in the Six Nations opener on Saturday with his place going to Maxime Mermoz of Perpignan,

Mermoz, who last played in the 41-13 loss to Argentina last summer, will line up in midfield alongside converted wing Aurelien Rougerie with Bayonne's Yoann Huget and Maxime Medard of Toulouse on the wings.

Francois Trinh-Duc returns at flyhalf, having missed the 59-16 drubbing at the hands of Australia in November due to injury, and will once again link up at scrumhalf with Morgan Parra.

In the pack, Imanol Harinordoquy returns at number eight with Racing Metro powerhouse Sebastien Chabal relegated to the bench, while former skipper Lionel Nallet is back at lock after injury.

In total eight players who played against Australia were retained in the starting line-up including Biarritz veteran Damian Traille who once again is on the move positionally - this time from flyhalf to fullback.

France are the reigning Six Nations champions having completed a Grand Slam of wins over the five other teams last year.

Teams:

France:

15-Damien Traille, 14-Yoann Huget, 13-Aurelien Rougerie, 12-Maxime Mermoz, 11-Maxime Medard, 10-Francois Trinh-Duc, 9-Morgan Parra, 8-Imanol Harinordoquy, 7-Julien Bonnaire, 6-Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 5-Lionel Nallet, 4-Julien Pierre, 3-Nicolas Mas, 2-William Servat, 1-Thomas Domingo.

Substitutes: 16-Guilhem Guirado, 17-Luc Ducalcon, 18-Jerome Thion, 19-Sebastien Chabal, 20-Dimitri Yachvili, 21-David Skrela, 22-Clement Poitrenaud

Scotland:

15. Hugo Southwell, 14. Nikki Walker, 13. Joe Ansbro, 12. Nick De Luca, 11. Max Evans, 10. Dan Parks, 9. Rory Lawson, 8. Kelly Brown, 7. John Barclay, 6. Nathan Hines, 5. Alastair Kellock (captain), 4. Richie Gray, 3. Euan Murray, 2. Ross Ford, 1. Allan Jacobsen

Replacements: 16. Dougie Hall, 17. Moray Low, 18. Richie Vernon, 19. Ross Rennie, 20. Mike Blair, 21. Ruaridh Jackson, 22. Sean Lamont

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2246 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE