Toulon’s star signing Jonny Wilkinson is expected in France on Wednesday, when he is scheduled to be presented to the club’s supporters at midday.

Wilkinson’s arrival, confirmed by club president Mourad Boudjellal last week, has already created a scramble for season tickets at Toulon as the city prepares to welcome one of rugby’s highest profile players.

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The 30-year-old has signed a two-year contract at the Top 14 club, rumoured to be worth around €700,000 per season.

He joins a squad which has already been massively overhauled by incoming director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre.

Elsewhere, France coach Marc Lièvremont has named Thierry Dusautoir as captain following the withdrawal of Lionel Nallet, together with Morgan Parra and Imanol Harinordoquy.

The triple injury blow is yet another obstacle for Lièvremont to hurdle in the build-up to what looks like a testing summer tour to New Zealand and Australia.

The France coach is already having to contend with playing a virtual ‘B’ team in the opening test against New Zealand in Dunedin on June 13^th due to the late arrival of players taking part in the Top 14 play-off final a week earlier.

Now he has lost three key players who would all have featured in that opening match, if fit. Scrum-half Parra was the first to withdraw after seriously injuring his shoulder during Bourgoin’s European Challenge Cup final defeat against Northampton Saints on Friday.

Tests on Monday showed the 20-year-old had suffered an acromio clavicular separation of stage III, and is now facing a potential three-month lay-off.

He is now facing the possibility of an operation, although Parra said he would first consult with the medical advisors of both the France national team and also Clermont Auvergne – who he has signed to join this summer.

His exit was then further compounded by confirmation that neither Nallet, the France captain, nor Harinordoquy, the inspirational Biarritz No 8, would make the trip.

Nallet’s absence opens the door for Stade Toulousain’s Dusautoir to step up from vice-captain and take a role many are tipping him to make his own. It has also led to Lièvremont calling up Perpignan’s Damien Chouly.

Harinordoquy – who was France’s best player during a generally disappointing Six Nations - has been replaced by Bayonne skipper Remy Martin, while Biarritz’s Dimitri Yachvili has been summonsed to replace Parra.

Yachvili will do battle with former club colleague Julien Dupuy for the No 9 shirt.

France play two Tests against the All Blacks in Dunedin on June 13 and Wellington on June 20 and one Test against the Wallabies in Sydney on June 27.

Revised France squad:
Forwards (16): Fabien Barcella (Biarritz), Thomas Domingo (Clermont), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Français), Guilhem Guirado (Perpignan), William Servat (Stade Toulousain), Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Français), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Damien Chouly (Perpignan), Sebastien Chabal (Sale/ENG), Romain Millo-Chluski (Stade Toulousain), Pascal Pape (Stade Français), Louis Picamoles (Montpellier), Remy Martin (Bayonne), Julien Bonnaire (Clermont), Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse, capt)
Backs (14): Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), Julien Dupuy (Leicester/ENG), David Skrela (Toulouse), François Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Maxime Mermoz (Perpignan), Yannick Jauzion (Toulouse), Florian Fritz (Toulouse), Mathieu Bastareaud (Stade Français), Alexis Palisson (Brive), Damien Traille (Biarritz), Aurélien Rougerie (Clermont), Cedric Heymans (Toulouse), Vincent Clerc (Toulouse), Maxime Medard (Toulouse)