Calls for Yachvili and Marconnet

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.

Yachvili, who has been the scourge of the world champions in the past two Six Nations tournaments, replaces Jean-Baptiste Elissalde at scrum-half while Stade Francais prop Marconnet comes in for Olivier Milloud in the front row.

Both Elissalde and Milloud drop to the bench, where they are joined by Dimitri Szarzewski, who takes the place of Sebastien Bruno having missed the last two matches with an Achilles injury, and Ludovic Valbon, who replaces the injured David Marty.

Florian Fritz has recovered from a knee injury to keep his place at centre.

France team to play England in the RBS 6 Nations Championship on Sunday:

T Castaignede (Saracens); A Rougerie (Clermont), F Fritz (Toulouse), D Traille (Biarritz), C Dominici (Stade Francais); F Michalak (Toulouse), D Yachvili (Biarritz); S Marconnet (Stade Francais), R Ibanez (Wasps), P De Villiers (Stade Francais), J Thion (Biarritz), F Pelous (Toulouse, capt), Y Nyanga (Toulouse), T Lievremont (Biarritz), O Magne (London Irish).

Replacements: D Szarzewski (Stade Francais), O Milloud (Bourgoin), L Nallet (Castres), J Bonnaire (Bourgoin), J-B Elissalde (Toulouse), L Valbon (Brive), C Heymans (Toulouse).