Jean-Baptiste Elissalde returns after injury at scrum-half for France

Date: Saturday, 15 March

Kick-off: 1700 GMT

Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

BBC Coverage: Live on BBC One, BBC Sport website (UK users only), Radio Wales and Radio Cymru



France coach Marc Lievremont has made six changes to his side to face Wales in Saturday's RBS Six Nations decider.

Scrum-half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and David Skrela replace Dimitri Yachvili and François Trinh-Duc at half-back from last week's 25-13 win over Italy.

Vincent Clerc gets the nod on the wing from Aurelien Rougerie, while Damien Traille takes over at inside centre.

In the pack Julien Bonnaire and Thierry Dusautoir return to add strength and experience to the back-row.

Toulouse star Cedric Heymans was expected to return to the starting XV after being rested for the Italy game, but he cannot oust Anthony Floch at full-back and must settle for a place among the replacements.

606: DEBATE

Yachvili and Trinh-Duc are also on the bench as Lievremont opts for a more solid kicking game from his starting half-backs.

Lievremont keeps the same front five that started against the powerful Italy scrummage, but had been expected to change his entire back row.

Montpellier youngster Fulgence Ouedraogo was expected to drop to the bench but he is retained.

That means Elvis Vermeulen - recalled to the squad after being sidelined with broken ribs since the opening win over Scotland - is named as a replacement.

Clermont-Auvergne number eight Vermeulen scored the last-gasp try that sealed the title for France, on points difference over Ireland, in the final game of last season's Six Nations.

Centre Yann David, who started at outside centre against Italy, drops out of the squad, with Yannick Jauzion taking the 13 shirt to accommodate Traille's return.

Rougerie, scrum-half Julien Tomas, flanker Ibrahim Diarra, number eight Louis Picamoles and Guilhem Guirado were also omitted from the match-day 22.

To deprive Wales of the Grand Slam and win by 20 points will be difficult

France coach Marc Lievremont

"Wales are a tough assignment and we needed players that already know and understand our system so can work at fine-tuning our tactics in the short time that is left for us," said Lievremont.

Les Bleus will retain their Six Nations crown if they beat Wales by 20 points, or by 19 points but with more tries than their opponents, with both teams currently tied on 11 tries overall.

Lievremont admitted France would need to get the basics right before they could even contemplate chasing a winning margin against Wales, unbeaten so far in this Six Nations.

"First we need to match the Welsh and we need to play our own rugby," he said.

"There is a big points gap and to deprive them of the Grand Slam and win by 20 points will be difficult."

France have beaten Scotland, Ireland and Italy so far this tournament, with their only defeat coming at home to England.

France: Anthony Floch (Clermont); Vincent Clerc (Toulouse), Yannick Jauzion (Toulouse), Damien Traille (Biarritz), Julien Malzieu (Clermont); David Skrela (Stade Français), Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (Toulouse); Fabien Barcella (Auch), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Français), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Lionel Nallet (Castres, capt), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse), Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Julien Bonnaire (Clermont).

Replacements: William Servat Toulouse), Jean-Baptiste Poux (Toulouse), Arnaud Mela (Albi), Elvis Vermeulen (Clermont), Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Cedric Heymans (Toulouse).