France v Scotland, Stade de France, Sunday, 2.0Gregor Townsend will make his 71st appearance for Scotland in Paris tomorrow but for the country's most capped player the celebrations may be muted.

Ian McGeechan has revamped Scotland's midfield in the wake of a stuttering start to their Six Nations campaign. But Townsend, a late replacement in the 36-6 defeat by Ireland last Sunday, is given an outside-centre's role with Brendan Laney, desperately ineffective at centre six days ago, handed the outhalf shirt.

Gordon Ross, who made his championship debut against Ireland, is relegated to the bench.

For the charismatic but erratic Townsend the realisation is that he is well down the pecking order for his favourite number 10 berth. The days when at outhalf he helped the Scots to five tries in a ravishing performance at the Stade de France in 1999 seem like ancient history.

The Scotland coach also hands a first cap to the centre Kevin Utterson.

"This line-up has been something I have looked at since the new year," he said when he announced his team in a hotel near Chantilly, just north of Paris yesterday afternoon.

"Tactically it allows us the opportunity to do certain things differently. We tried to reach a balance between the three in the midfield, not just picking individuals."

McGeechan keeps the same pack that played against Ireland. The Scotland coach said he selected the 26-year-old Utterson, who plays alongside Townsend for Borders, because "he has been playing well all season and is probably at the moment our in-form number 12".

The coach added: "Greg's experiences will be quite useful against France."

Townsend has played much of his recent club rugby in France.

The Scottish coach has left a question mark over the choice of goalkicker because Laney suffered a slight leg injury in training last week and Ross took over the kicking duties against Ireland.

"A decision will be taken after a kicking session tomorrow," McGeechan said. "We'll see how it goes. If there is any doubt, then Chris Paterson will start as kicker."

France have replaced their kicker Gerald Merceron with the Agen stand-off Francois Gelez but at the Stade de France tomorrow it is unlikely that they will need to rely on goal-kicks.

Prop Sylvain Marconnet hopes to unsettle coach Bernard Laporte's prop hierarchy and show he also has the potential to become a first-team regular ahead of the World Cup.

Marconnet has been in constant competition with Jean-Jacques Crenca and Pieter De Villiers, who is out of the tournament after testing positive for cocaine and ecstasy.

Last time Marconnet started an international was in a 31-25 defeat to Australia during their summer tour last June, and he hopes he will leave the Stade de France pitch with victory this time.

Marconnet replaces Christian Califano, who was disappointing in their 25-17 defeat to England. "I experienced great satisfaction when I found out I was in the starting line-up," said Marconnet. I will do all I can not to waste my return to the team. My international career has always been made of ups and downs. I was called back, sidelined, in the first team and then on the bench.

"I am now 26 and I think all this experience helped me mature and grow up. People always used to say about me that I had huge potential. And I think I have become more consistent now. Against Scotland I have to be a flexible prop ahead of the World Cup."