• Wales v France, Six Nations, February 26

Fall and Bonnaire start for France

Clermont's Julien Bonnaire has been drafted into the French back-row © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Rees relishing starting role
  
Julien Bonnaire

France coach Marc Lievremont has made two changes for their vital Six Nations fixture against Wales in Cardiff on Friday night.

Julien Bonnaire and Benjamin Fall are drafted into the starting XV following injuries to Fulgence Ouedraogo and Vincent Clerc, with Clermont's Bonnaire set to win his 50th cap.

France have been in ominous form so far in the tournament, powering past Scotland before ending Ireland's hopes of back-to-back Grand Slams with a clinical display at the Stade de France.

Bonnaire joins skipper Thierry Dusautoir and Imanol Harinordoquy in a powerful back-row while Pascal Pape and Lionel Nallet again start in the engine room. Up front, Thomas Domingo and Nicolas Mas are retained either side of hooker William Servat.

The impressive Morgan Parra and Francois Trinh-Duc continue at halfback while wing Alexis Palisson has recovered from the dead leg suffered at the hands of Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery. He joins Fall and Toulouse's Clement Poitrenaud in the back-three.

France: C Poitrenaud (Toulouse); B Fall (Bayonne), M Bastareaud (Stade Francais), Y Jauzion (Toulouse), A Palisson (Brive); F Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), M Parra (Clermont Auvergne); T Domingo (Clermont Auvergne), W Servat (Toulouse), N Mas (Perpignan), L Nallet (Racing-Metro), P Pape (Stade Francais), T Dusautoir (Toulouse, capt), J Bonnaire (Clermont Auvergne), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz)

Replacements: D Szarzewski (Stade Francais), J-B Poux (Toulouse), J Pierre (Clermont Auvergne), A Lapandry (Clermont Auvergne), F Michalak (Toulouse), D Marty (Perpignan), J Malzieu (Clermont Auvergne)

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.