France make three changes for Ireland clash

This is the team coming to Dublin.

France make three changes for Ireland clash

France have made three changes to their starting line-up for the Six Nations clash with Ireland at the Aviva Stadium, the French Rugby Federation has announced.

Prop Rabah Slimani, flanker Bernard Le Roux and wing Yoann Huget come in for Uini Atonio, Loann Goujon and Virimi Vakatawa respectively.

New Zealand-born wing Vakatawa has a thigh injury while Atonio makes way for Slimani, who scored a try against England in the narrow defeat at Twickenham.

Rabah Slimani
Rabah Slimani

Back-row forward Goujon has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament following a clash of heads in the match against Scotland.

The 27-year-old La Rochelle flanker fractured a bone in his sinuses which ruled him out for at least a month.

Racing 92 centre Henry Chavancy is called up to the bench along with flanker Charles Ollivon, prop Eddy Ben Arous and wing Djibril Camara, but there is no place for juggernaut centre Mathieu Bastareaud, who misses the Ireland match after suffering a concussion.

France: S Spedding (Clermont Auvergne); N Nakaitaci (Clermont Auvergne), R Lamerat (Clermont Auvergne), G Fickou (Toulouse), Y Huget (Toulouse); C Lopez (Clermont Auvergne), B Serin (Bordeaux-Begles); C Baille (Toulouse), G Guirado (Toulon, capt), R Slimani (Stade Francais), S V Vahaamahina (Clermont Auvergne), Y Maestri (Toulouse), Bernard Le Roux (Racing 92), K Gourdon (La Rochelle), L Picamoles (Northampton).

Replacements: C Tolofua (Toulouse), U Antonio (La Rochelle), E Ben Arous (Racing 92), J Le Devedec (Brive), C Ollivon (Toulon), M Machenaud (Racing 92), H Chavancy (Racing 92), D Camara (Stade Francais).

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