Trio back in France squad

Clement Poitrenaud, Sebastien Chabal and David Skrela return to the France squad for next Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations Championship opener against Italy in Rome.

The trio were among the 22 players named by Les Bleus on Sunday, after a 40-man party assembled in Marcoussis ahead of the tournament.

Full-back Poitrenaud, who has been in superb form for Toulouse this season, has not played for France since June last year, while Sale Sharks number eight Chabal has to go back to November 2005 for his last cap.

Stade Francais fly-half Skrela has been in the international wilderness for almost six years – his last appearance for his country came in June 2001.

Skrela will be competing with Damien Traille, normally a centre, for the starting spot at number 10, but Chabal and Poitrenaud should start.

The squad has been hit with a series of injuries over the past month, with captain and lock Fabien Pelous and number eight Elvis Vermeulen among those missing for the Italy match.

Winger Aurelien Rougerie, meanwhile, misses out as he will be serving a one-match ban following his sending-off for Clermont-Auvergne against Agen in a Top 14 fixture on Saturday.

Head coach Bernard Laporte has said every member of the 40-man squad will start at least one game in the Six Nations.

Squad: Forwards: Sylvain Marconnet, Pieter De Villiers (both Stade Francais), Olivier Milloud (Bourgoin), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Francais), Raphael Ibanez (Wasps), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Lionel Nallet, Pascal Pape (both Castres), Serge Betsen (Biarritz), Julien Bonnaire (Bourgoin), Sebastien Chabal (Sale), Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz).

Backs: Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), Pierre Mignoni (Clermont-Auvergne), David Skrela (Stade Francais), Damien Traille (Biarritz), Florian Fritz, Yannick Jauzion, Vincent Clerc (all Toulouse), Christophe Dominici (Stade Francais), Cedric Heymans, Clement Poitrenaud (both Toulouse).