France coach Bernard Laporte has made wholesale changes for Les Bleus’ World Cup clash against Namibia in Toulouse on Sunday.

ARGENTINA’S forward power has forced France head coach Bernard Laporte into making some “painful” decisions in selecting his starting line-up for Friday’s World Cup opener at the Stade de France.

Frederic Michalak and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde will form the half-back partnership combination for France when they take on England in a World Cup warm-up match in Marseille tomorrow.

France have rung the changes in their 22-man squad for the World Cup warm-up match against England in Marseille on Saturday.

Fabien Pelous will make his return to international rugby tomorrow after being named in France’s team for the World Cup warm-up match against England at Twickenham.

Irish scrum-half Eoin Reddan and tight-head prop Peter Bracken will start for London Wasps against Leicester in Sunday's Heineken Cup final at Twickenham.

France have named an experimental squad for the two-Test tour of New Zealand.

France have made three changes to the team that lost to England last weekend for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations Championship clash with Scotland in Paris.

ITALY flanker Mauro Bergamasco will miss Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Ireland after receiving a four-week ban for punching Wales captain Stephen Jones.

Sebastien Chabal and Dimitri Yachvili have been dropped from France’s squad for the RBS 6 Nations Championship clash with Scotland on Saturday.

France have chosen a new-look half-back partnership of Pierre Mignoni and David Skrela for their RBS 6 Nations Championship opener against Italy in Rome’s Stadio Flaminio on Saturday.

NEW Zealand head coach Graham Henry believes the 47-3 mauling of France shows his side are in perfect shape for next year’s World Cup.

The Barbarians will field a team selected from seven countries, including Ireland's David Humphreys and Bob Casey, when they tackle an England XV in Sunday’s Gartmore Challenge match at Twickenham.

COLIN CHARVIS has been dropped by Wales coach Scott Johnson as one of three personnel changes for the final RBS Six Nations Championship clash against France on Saturday.

Bernard Laporte has made one change to France‘s starting line-up for their final RBS Six Nations Championship clash with Wales on Saturday.

France have named Dimitri Yachvili and Sylvain Marconnet in their starting line-up for their crunch RBS Six Nations Championship clash with England at the Stade de France on Sunday.

FRANCE coach Bernard Laporte has recalled hooker Dimitri Szarzewski to his 22-man squad to play England in the Six Nations tournament at the Stade de France on March 12.

FRANCE coach Bernard Laporte’s quixotic attitude to selection saw him make three changes to the team that beat Ireland 43-31 for Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Italy at the Stade de France.

Thomas Castaignede returns to the France line-up against Italy at the Stade de France on Saturday in the RBS Six Nations.

EXPERIENCED duo Thomas Castaignede and Serge Betsen have been drafted back into the France squad as coach Bernard Laporte looks toward their RBS Six Nations Championship match against Italy.

Experienced duo Thomas Castaignede and Serge Betsen have been drafted back into the France squad as coach Bernard Laporte looks at his options ahead of their RBS 6 Nations Championship match against Italy.

France coach Bernard Laporte has made five changes to his team for Saturday’s RBS Six Nations Championship clash with Ireland in Paris and brought back veterans Raphael Ibanez and Olivier Magne.

France head coach Bernard Laporte has named a 28-man squad for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations Championship clash with Ireland in Paris.

Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio will lead the northern hemisphere team in Saturday’s IRB Rugby Aid tsunami fund-raising game against their southern counterparts at Twickenham.

CLIVE WOODWARD yesterday announced his northern hemisphere squad for the Tsunami rugby aid match against the southern hemisphere at Twickenham on March 5.

Clive Woodward today announced his northern hemisphere squad for the Tsunami rugby aid match against the southern hemisphere at Twickenham on March 5.

Beaten semi-finalists New Zealand and France have taken vastly different approaches to Thursday’s World Cup third-place play-off.

France 43 Ireland 21

Keith Wood and his team have their chance to secure a place in history as they face France in their eagerly anticipated World Cup quarter-final in Melbourne.

France will be at full strength for their mouth-watering World Cup quarter-final encounter with Ireland in Melbourne on Sunday.

IF there’s one thing that’s predictable when it comes to the French and rugby it’s their unpredictability.

Tighthead prop Sylvain Marconnet will return to the French side this weekend for the crunch Pool B encounter with Scotland at Telstra Stadium.

A hat-trick of tries against Fiji was not enough for exciting centre Yannick Jauzion to keep his place in the France side for Saturday’s game against Japan.

Tony Marsh today completed a courageous comeback from cancer when he was named ahead of Damien Traille to play in France’s opening World Cup clash against Fiji.

The Barbarians have made 15 changes to their starting line-up from the team which beat England at Twickenham on yesterday.

The Barbarians have named a strong line-up from their star-studded squad for the opening match of their Lloyds TSB tour against England at Twickenham on Sunday.

DANNY GREWCOCK is in danger of missing England’s potential Grand Slam decider against Ireland after being cited for two offences of striking another player during a Zurich Premiership game.

France coach Bernard Laporte today recalled Saracens utility back Thomas Castaignede for the RBS 6 Nations match against Italy in Rome on Sunday.

France has announced the team to line out against Ireland in Lansdowne Road on Saturday.

Fly-half Gerald Merceron has lost his place in France‘s side for this weekend‘s RBS 6 Nations clash with Scotland in Paris.

PROP Pieter De Villiers has not been ruled out of international rugby union indefinitely after testing positive for ecstasy and cocaine, French coach Bernard Laporte insisted yesterday.

THE WORLD Cup is a year away but today the Six Nations champions France will pit their talents against the Tri-Nations victors New Zealand in what can be termed the unofficial world championship of 2002.

Grand Slam winners France provide just four members of the Zurich Six Nations team of the championship according to the latest world player rankings.