French call on Heymans for Pumas showdown

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.

Fear of the Pumas’ notorious pack has seen Laporte name five forwards on the replacements’ bench, and that in turn has impacted on his selection in the backs.

Cedric Heymans, a winger by trade, was named at full-back in place of Toulouse colleague Clement Poitrenaud, who was thought to be a shoo-in at number 15 but cannot even make the bench for the tournament curtain-raiser in Paris.