Italy v France:Some of the France players are describing this year's Six Nations as an oval-ball version of Big Brother: 40 men aspiring to win places in the World Cup squad cooped up for seven weeks in the National Rugby Centre at Marcoussis and put through tests in the knowledge that they may be voted in or out. "I believe there's a Diary Room where we can let off steam," quipped one player this week.
The most pressure will be felt by the candidates for the backrow and the potential outhalves. Frederic Michalak's injury means the position is open and, more disturbingly for aspirant number 10s, Bernard Laporte has gone through outhalves like Mr Toad went through motorcars. The latest candidate, David Skrela, is aware of the context, having been picked once, against the All Blacks in New Zealand at the age of 22, and then discarded.
Nearly six years later, he has a chance to forge a decent international career and follow in the footsteps of his father, Jean-Claude, who with Jean-Pierre Bastiat and Jean-Pierre Rives formed the legendary backrow in France's grand slam of 1977.
Laporte has said that, with Michalak, Damien Traille and Benjamin Boyet injured, Skrela will get a decent run. But the presence on the bench of his rival for the slot at Stade Français, Lionel Beauxis, is hardly reassuring. "This is a match of primordial importance, not just in terms of the pressure, but in terms of what the selectors are expecting of us," said Skrela.
According to Pieter de Villiers, his club team-mate, Skrela's exclusion from the France team made him all the more determined to regain his place. "He's not the kind of guy who talks about the disappointment he must have felt, but he's gone to the training pitch and worked."
This season Skrela (27), has been a key figure in Stade Français's league and European campaigns, and he says his progress is also down to a change of diet. "It's allowed me to become faster and have more stamina in a match. You can't imagine how good losing a few kilos makes you feel until it happens."
Asked about France's outhalf difficulties, Italy coach Pierre Berbizier said his team had issues of their own in that area. His first-choice, Ramiro Pez, has just returned from injury and is on the bench, with the ageing Andrea Scanavacca forming an all-Calvisano half-back pairing with Paul Griffen.
ITALY: R De Marigny; D Dallan, G Canale, Mirco Bergamasco, A Masi; A Scanavacca, P Griffen; S Perugini, F Ongaro, C Nieto, S Dellape, M Bortolami (capt), J Sole, Mauro Bergamasco, S Parisse. Replacements: C Festuccia, A Lo Cicero, M Castrogiovanni, R Mandelli, A Troncon, R Pez, K Robertson.
FRANCE: C Poitrenaud; C Heymans, F Fritz, Y Jauzion, C Dominici; D Skrela, P Mignoni; O Milloud, R Ibanez (capt), P de Villiers, L Nallet, J Thion, S Betsen, J Bonnaire, S Chabal. Replacements: D Szarzewski, S Marconnet, P Pape, I Harinordoquy, D Yachvili, L Beauxis, V Clerc.
Referee: W Barnes (England).
