Injury forces late French change

Second row forward Yoann Maestri has been forced to withdraw from the French XV to face Australia on Saturday with lumbago, the management announced.


His place in the pack will go to Jocelino Suta of Toulon, who wins his first cap at the age of 29.


Young Perpignan forward Sebastien Vahaamahina, 21, takes Suta's place on the bench.


Maestri, 24, did not train with the squad on Thursday, complaining of tiredness and had to pull out on Friday, although he could be fit for the forthcoming Tests against Argentina in Lille next week and Samoa in Paris the following Saturday.


"He is a very big loss," said French forwards coach Yannick Bru.


"After losing Thierry Dusautoir and Wen Lauret, we'll be without the biggest and heaviest man in the pack.


"He's a player who has grown in stature this year and he was at the heart of our forward play."


France - revised: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Wesley Fofana, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Vincent Clerc, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Jocelino Suta, 4 Pascal Pape (captain), 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Yannick Forestier.

Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Thomas Domingo, 18 Vincent Debaty, 19 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 20 Damien Chouly, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Francois Trinh-Duc, 23 Yoann Huget


Date: Saturday, November 10

Venue: Stade de France, Paris

Kick-off: 21.00 (20.00 GMT, 07.00, Sunday, November 11 AEDST)

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

Assistant referees: John Lacey (Ireland), Neil Paterson (Scotland)

TMO: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)