France will be without second row Yoann Maestri for their clash with Australia after the Toulouse star was ruled out with a back injury.
Maestri, who made his debut for Les Bleus during the 2012 RBS 6 Nations, was due to start in the second row alongside skipper Pascal Papé but will now be replaced by debutant Jocelino Suta from Toulon.
Suta’s place on the bench will be taken by the uncapped Sébastien Vahaamahina, a 21-year-old who plies his trade with Perpignan.
Philippe Saint-André, the French coach, admitted it was a blow to lose one of his starters just a day before the clash at the Stade de France.
He said: “It’s a real blow because Yoann is a key element for us, with seven caps he has brought his power in the scrum and experience in the lineout.
“That’s how it is though, we have to make do. It’s a shame we didn’t have have 25 or 26 players to prepare with all week to be ready for this sort of last-minute injury.
“Jocelino Suta will get his chance and I’m really pleased for him, he deserves it. It makes sense for Sébastien Vahaamahina to replace him after the three-day training camp we had while Yoann Maestri will stay with us to recover and hopefully be fit for the game against Argentina.”
Team to play Australia 15. Brice Dulin 14. Wesley Fofana 13. Florian Fritz 12. Maxime Mermoz 11. Vincent Clerc 10. Frédéric Michalak 9. Maxime Machenaud 1. Yannick Forestier 2. Dimitri Szarzewski 3. Nicolas Mas 4. Pascal Papé 5. Jocelino Suta 6. Yannick Nyanga 7. Fulgence Ouedraogo 8. Louis Picamoles Replacements 16. Benjamin Kayser 17. Thomas Domingo 18. Vincent Debaty 19. Sébastien Vahaamahina 20. Damien Chouly 21. Morgan Parra 22. François Trinh-Duc 23. Yoann Huget
