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France make three changes

Six Nations News: France have made three changes to the team that lost to England last weekend for Saturday's meeting with Scotland…

Thu Mar 15 2007 - 00:00

Six Nations News:France have made three changes to the team that lost to England last weekend for Saturday's meeting with Scotland in Paris.

Winger Christophe Dominici is dropped in favour of Cedric Heymans, while Pierre Mignoni returns at scrumhalf in place of Dimitri Yachvili, who is not in the squad after struggling against England.

There is only one change in the pack, Biarritz's Imanol Harinordoquy coming in at number eight for Sebastien Chabal.

David Skrela will play at outhalf if he passes a fitness test today. If he fails, his Stade Francais team-mate Lionel Beauxis will make his first start of the Six Nations.

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Scotland have made five changes to their starting line-up. Hugo Southwell is out with a shoulder injury he sustained in Scotland's 19-18 defeat against Ireland, while Dougie Hall, Chris Cusiter, Marcus Di Rollo and Dave Callam are dropped.

Scrumhalf Rory Lawson and hooker Ross Ford will start an international for the first time, while wing Nikki Walker is included with centre Andrew Henderson and number eight John Beattie. Walker has not been named in a Scotland XV for five years but fits the bill for head coach Frank Hadden this weekend. Captain Chris Paterson moves from the wing to fullback, where Rory Lamont had been tipped to start. Lamont is on forced to settle for a place on the bench, where Hall, Cusiter and Di Rollo also feature.

Wales captain Stephen Jones has withdrawn from Saturday's meeting with England after suffering a fractured bone in his wrist. Gareth Thomas comes in at inside centre and takes over as captain, with James Hook moving to outhalf.

FRANCE(v Scotland): C Poitrenaud (Toulouse); V Clerc (Toulouse), D Marty (Perpignan), Y Jauzion (Toulouse), C Heymans (Toulouse); D Skrela(Stade Francais), P Mignoni (Clermont-Auvergne); O Milloud (Bourgoin), R Ibanez (Wasps, capt), P De Villiers (Stade Francais), L Nallet (Castres), J Thion (Biarritz), S Betsen (Biarritz), J Bonnaire (Bourgoin), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz). Replacements:N Mas (Perpignan), S Bruno (Sale), P Pape (Castres), E Vermeulen (Clermont-Auvergne), JB Elissalde (Toulouse), L Beauxis (Stade Francais)/D Traille(Biarritz), C Dominici (Stade Francais).

SCOTLAND(v France): C Paterson (Edinburgh, capt); S Lamont (Northampton), R Dewey (Edinburgh), A Henderson (Glasgow Warriors), N Walker (Ospreys); D Parks (Glasgow Warriors), R Lawson (Gloucester); G Kerr (Borders), R Ford (Borders), E Murray (Glasgow Warriors), N Hines (Perpignan), S Murray (Edinburgh), S Taylor (Edinburgh), J Beattie (Glasgow Warriors), K Brown(Borders). Replacements:D Hall (Edinburgh), A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), J Hamilton (Leicester), A Hogg (Edinburgh), C Cusiter (Borders), M Di Rollo (Edinburgh), R Lamont (Glasgow Warriors).

WALES(v England): K Morgan (Newport-Gwent Dragons); M Jones (Llanelli Scarlets), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues), G Thomas (Toulouse, capt), S Williams (Ospreys); J Hook (Ospreys), D Peel (Llanelli Scarlets); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), M Rees (Llanelli Scarlets), C Horsman (Worcester), I Gough (Newport Gwent Dragons), A Wyn-Jones (Ospreys), A Popham (Llanelli Scarlets), M Williams (Cardiff Blues), R Jones (Ospreys). Replacements:R Thomas (Cardiff Blues), D Jones (Ospreys), A Jones (Ospreys), B Cockbain (Ospreys), J Thomas (Ospreys), M Phillips (Cardiff), C Sweeney (Newport-Gwent Dragons).