Laporte happy with weakened side

France head coach Bernard Laporte insisted form and injuries had dictated his decision to select an experimental line-up for Saturday’s Six Nations Championship opener against Italy in Rome.

Les Bleus have gone with a new-look half-back pairing of Pierre Mignoni and David Skrela for the match, while at the same time handing recalls to Sale’s powerhouse number eight Sebastien Chabal and Toulouse full-back Clement Poitrenaud.