Six Nations Rugby:

France pick Maxime Mermoz

France will start the defence of their Six Nations crown with two-thirds of the side that clinched the Grand Slam last year but without Yannick Jauzion.

The celebrated centre makes way for Perpignan's rising star Maxime Mermoz in a much-changed three-quarter line. Yoann Huget, who made his debut in the autumn, starts at right wing, Aurelien Rougerie at centre, Damien Traille at full-back, Maxime Medard at left wing.

But the pack and the half-backs are the same units that sealed the 2010 Slam.

Imanol Harinordoquy is preferred at number eight to Sebastien Chabal, who is on the bench, with captain Thierry Dusautoir and Julien Bonnaire making up the back row, Fulgence Ouedraogo missing out.

Julien Pierre gets the nod at lock ahead of Jerome Thion, who is also among the replacements, while the formidable front row on which France's success was based last year remains intact.

Scrum-half Morgan Parra and fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc continue their association but the rest of the backline has changed.

Traille, who has won the majority of his 77 caps at centre, started Les Bleus' last outing - a crushing 59-16 home defeat by Australia - at fly-half.

Mermoz, 24, made his Test debut in 2008 but a series of untimely injuries have meant he has collected only seven caps so far, with just one Six Nations appearance as a replacement against Scotland two years ago. Medard, who can also play full-back, comes in on the left wing at the expense of Alexis Palisson. BBC