Six Nations Championship: Bernard Laporte has added six players to the match squad of 22 that suffered defeat against Scotland for next Saturday's Six Nations Championship game against Ireland at Stade de France. The French coach is trying to regroup following their surprise 20-16 defeat to the Scots on Sunday and in an effort to do so has recalled several veterans.
London Irish flanker Olivier Magne, Serge Betsen, Raphael Ibanez and Pascal Pape bolster the resources up front, while centre Damien Traille and wing Aurelien Rougerie have recovered from injury. Magne has only returned to the Exiles team in recent weeks following injury but has looked sharp on his return.
The 32-year-old openside last played for France on a summer tour in 2005, winning his 83rd cap against Australia in July. The last time he lined out in the Six Nations was against England in March 2004. He is a top quality flanker and athlete.
Betsen is another long-term casualty but his rehabilitation from injury was completed by a couple of matches in recent weeks when coming off the bench for Biarritz. He's another world-class backrow forward with a fearsome reputation for shutting down playmakers.
Raphael Ibanez won the last of his 74 caps in the Tongan game in the November Test series. The previous week the 32-year-old came off the bench in the game against Canada but prior to that he'd been out of favour, his previous appearance in November 2003. Ibanez has been in excellent form for Wasps and Laporte's decision to include him could see Sale's Sebastien Bruno drop out as the squad now includes three hookers. Stade Français and French first-choice Dmitri Szarzewski is the other.
Pape has been an intermittent member of the Bourgoin team this season due to back problems. He is a tough, abrasive secondrow and would be well known to the Leinster and Munster members of the Irish squad.
The recall of the 6ft 4ins Biarritz centre Traille is a major fillip for Laporte's plans as the coach is again without Yannick Jauzion. The 26-year-old has won 41 caps and like Clerment Auvurgne wing Rougerie - aged 25 with 38 caps - will make a big difference to French options behind the scrum. Both players would arguably be first choice when fully fit so they could return to the starting line-up.
Biarritz fullback Nicolas Brusque has been included in the squad but reports emanating from France suggest a sprained ankle suffered in the defeat by the Scots will guarantee his withdrawal over the next couple of days. There are no other specialist fullbacks in the squad so Laporte could turn to Christophe Dominici who has played there for Stade Français on occasion this season.
The news on scrumhalf Jean-Baptiste Elissalde is better as the finger he dislocated last Sunday was manoeuvred back into place without difficulty and he should be available, as should Julien Bonnaire who sustained a damaged elbow. He is due to undergo an X-ray.
Laporte hinted he would make alterations when the team is announced on Thursday. "We were nervous, we had trouble getting any control. Compared to our form in November, we didn't have any rhythm . . . There were so many details where our game went wrong."
Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan doesn't have any injury concerns ahead of his team announcement today. The match squad from the Italian game and the eight players called in for training purposes took a full part in yesterday's session.
The Ireland A team will train at Anglesea Road today ahead of Friday night's international against France in Limoges. The Irish side will be announced at lunch-time. Ireland will also take on France in an under-21 international to be played at Strasbourg.
Fullback Josh Lewsey has been ruled out of England's Six Nations match against Italy in Rome with a shoulder injury.
FRANCE (squad v Ireland): Backs: N Brusque (Biarritz), A Rougerie (Clermont Auvergne), C Dominici (Stade Francais), C Heymans (Toulouse), G Bousses (Bourgoin), L Valbon (Brive), F Fritz (Toulouse), D Traille (Biarritz), B Boyet (Bourgoin), F Michalak (Toulouse), D Yachvili (Biarritz), J-B Elissalde (Toulouse).
Forwards: S Marconnet (Stade Francais), P de Villiers (Stade Francais), O Milloud (Bourgoin), D Szarzewski (Stade Francais), S Bruno (Sale), R Ibanez (Wasps), P Pape (Bourgoin), J Thion (Biarritz), F Pelous (Toulouse), L Nallet (Castres), O Magne (London Irish), S Betsen (Biarritz), Y Nyanga (Toulouse), J Bonnaire (Bourgoin), R Martin (Stade Francais), T Lievremont (Biarritz).
