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France returnee Parra out with knee injury

Paris - Having earned a recall to the France squad for the first time in two years, Morgan Parra is now out of the Six Nations opener against Ireland with a knee injury.

READ: Bulls name co-captains for Super Rugby

Parra's selection last week raised a few eyebrows as he hadn't played for France since the 2015 World Cup but the 29-year-old was injured playing for Clermont against Ospreys in the European Champions Cup at the weekend and has been replaced in Jacques Brunel's France squad by Baptiste Serin.

Toulon's Hugo Bonneval has also been drafted into the squad to replace Racing 92 full-back Brice Dulin, who suffered a calf injury against Leicester on Sunday.

READ: Potgieter leaves Bulls, takes 'sabbatical' 

Serin was first choice scrum-half for much of Brunel's predecessor Guy Noves's two-year France reign while Parra was out in the cold.

The 23-year-old Bordeaux-Begles player lost his spot under Noves to Antoine Dupont during the November internationals before being dropped entirely by Brunel.

Parra, who has 68 French caps, had been in fine form this season.

France open their Six Nations campaign at home to Ireland on February 3.

Squad

Forwards (18): Eddy Ben Arous (Racing 92), Cedate Gomes Sa (Racing 92), Jefferson Poirot (Bordeaux-Begles), Dany Priso (La Rochelle), Rabah Slimani (Clermont), Camille Chat (Racing 92), Guilhem Guirado (Toulon), Christopher Tolofua (Saracens/ENG), Arthur Iturria (Clermont), Paul Gabrillagues (Stade Franais), Felix Lambey (Lyon), Sebastien Vahaamahina (Clermont), Yacouba Camara (Montpellier), Kevin Gourdon (La Rochelle), Anthony Jelonch (Castres), Wenceslas Lauret (Racing 92), Sekou Macalou (Stade Francais), Marco Tauleigne (Bordeaux-Begles)

Backs (14): Antoine Dupont (Toulouse), Maxime Machenaud (Racing 92), Baptiste Serin (Bordeaux-Begles), Anthony Belleau (Toulon), Matthieu Jalibert (Bordeaux-Begles), Mathieu Bastareaud (Toulon), Henry Chavancy (Racing 92), Geoffrey Doumayrou (La Rochelle), Remi Lamerat (Clermont), Benjamin Fall (Montpellier), Teddy Thomas (Racing 92), Virimi Vakatawa (Racing 92), Hugo Bonneval (Toulon), Geoffrey Palis (Castres)

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