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Rugby Union

France make three changes for England

07/03/2007

France coach Bernard Laporte has made three changes to his starting XV to face England at Twickenham this weekend.

Sale number eight Sebastien Chabal is recalled after injury ruled him out of the last match against Wales in Paris, while veterans Pieter de Villiers and Dimitri Yachvili also return to the starting line up.

Scrum-half Yachvili replaces Pierre Mignoni at the back of the pack after being restricted to replacement appearances in the first three of France's Six Nations matches while Nicolas Mas also drops to the bench to make way for South African-born De Villiers.

Elvis Vermeulen, who stood in for Chabal in the 32-21 victory over Wales, loses his place in the 22 altogether but there are places among the replacements for hooker Sebastien Bruno and pacey winger Cedric Heymans.

The rest of the 22 is unchanged as the French side look to overcome the last major hurdle on their way to a possible grand slam in this year's Six Nations.

Their last match is against underdogs Scotland in Paris and many critics feel England at Twickenham represent the only major threat to France's bid for a second consecutive title ahead of the World Cup in the autumn.

Full France XV to face England:
15 Clement Poitrenaud (Toulouse)
14 Vincent Clerc (Toulouse)
13 David Marty (Perpignan)
12 Yannick Jauzion (Toulouse)
11 Christophe Dominici (Stade Francais)
10 David Skrela (Stade Francais)
9 Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz)
1 Olivier Milloud (Bourgoin)
2 Raphael Ibanez (Wasps, captain)
3 Pieter de Villiers (Stade Francais)
4 Lionel Nallet (Castres)
5 Jerome Thion (Biarritz)
6 Serge Betsen (Biarritz)
7 Julien Bonnaire (Bourgoin)
8 Sebastien Chabal (Sale Sharks)

Replacements: Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Sebastien Bruno (Sale Sharks), Pascal Pape (Castres), Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz), Pierre Mignoni (Clermont-Auvergne), Lionel Beauxis (Stade Francais), Cedric Heymans (Toulouse).

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