France
head coach Marc Lièvremont has named his starting XV to face
the Springboks in Cape Town on Saturday, with Biarritz
youngster Wenceslas Lauret earning his first cap.
The
21-year-old was surprisingly preferred at number eight to
Stade Toulousain's Louis Picamoles (15 caps) and will
feature in a back row alongside captain Thierry Dusautoir
and Clermont's Julien Bonnaire.
Lièvremont described Lauret as "a very good player" and said
he had been impressed by the 21-year-old during the build-up
to France's tour.
"He gave
us complete satisfaction in the first four days of training.
It is a great story and I hope it will not stop there,"
added Lièvremont.
The
uncapped youngster was a surprise inclusion in the tour
squad after impressing for Biarritz in the Heineken Cup
final against Stade Toulousain, and now is set to make his
international debut against the World Champions.
Lièvremont said he had opted for Lauret over Picamoles
partly due to the former's dynamic defence, adding that he
was "disappointed by the season of Louis and I expect a
reaction from him".
The rest
of the France side is largely as expected, with Stade
Francais hooker Dimitri Szarzewski getting the nod ahead of
Perpignan's Guilhem Guirado in William Servat's absence.
Nicolas Mas and Thomas Domingo are the starting props, with
Lionel Nallet and Romain Millo-Chluski in the second row.
Morgan
Parra and Francois Trinh-Duc continue their successful
half-back partnership, with Perpignan duo Maxime Mermoz and
David Marty paired up in the centres. Stade Toulousain
winger Vincent Clerc also starts, alongside Clermont captain
Aurélien Rougerie, who makes his first appearance since
going off injured against Scotland in France's first match
of their triumphant Six Nations campaign.
Stade
Toulousain's Clément Poitrenaud retains his full-back
position, with club colleagues Jean-Baptiste Poux, David
Skrela and Picamoles among the subs. Guirado, Julien Pierre,
Dimitri Yachvili, and Marc Andreu are the other replacements
as France seek to continue their superb recent form.
