French guessing game as Laporte ponders changes

A LOT has been made of Bernard Laporte’s insistence on experimentation for this year’s RBS 6 Nations Championship, but it will be interesting to see if France’s head coach sticks to his word following the comprehensive opening day rout of beleaguered Italy.

For the likes of Sebastien Chabal and David Skrela, who enjoyed glorious returns to the international scene at the Stadio Flaminio, being dropped to the reserves for Sunday’s historic Croke Park clash against Ireland would be particularly hard to stomach.

But that is what could happen if Laporte tinkers with his line-up as he promised he would do, in order to give everyone in his squad of 40 a chance to prove their worth ahead of the World Cup.