Laporte may make shock changes

Unpredictable French coach Bernard Laporte may be about to spring a shock by asking hooker William Servat to pack down at number eight for the RBS Six Nations.

That is according to L’Equipe newspaper in reaction to France’s domination by Argentina and New Zealand in the Autmun Tests. It goes on to suggest that Imanol Harinordoquy will be removed from the starting line up and Sebastien Bruno will move into the hooking position.

Laporte is reported as saying: "The time has come to return to basics. We can't win with a pack of forwards which suffers as much as we did against Argentina and New Zealand. Our opponents took the fight to us, whether individually or collectively, especially at the set scrums and in carrying the ball.

"I do not blame the players, whom I will always defend. I'm the one who picks them. But it is our responsibility to admit making a mistake. We have not built a pack that is competitive enough. We must get a more solid foundation in order to win. That is our first job."