Bernard Laporte, the France coach, has again rung the changes to his side despite the stirring second-half comeback to beat England at Twickenham on Sunday.
Les Bleus’ hopes of retaining the RBS Six Nations title received a boost when they defeated the world champions 18-17 just eight days after completing a 16-9 home victory over Scotland.
But the manner of their victory at Twickenham, coming after one of the most tepid and unimaginative first-half performances by a France team in recent years, has led to four changes in the squad to face the unbeaten Welsh at the Stade de France.
Sebastien Chabal, Brian Liebenberg and Pepito Elhorga were all dropped after failing to impress at Twickenham. Jimmy Marlu, the winger, is an enforced withdrawal after injuring his left knee against Andy Robinson’s men and will be replaced by Aurelien Rougerie.
Laporte insists the changes to the squad are essential if Les Bleus are to continue to improve during what he sees as a transitional period for his side.
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“It breaks my heart to sideline players who defeated England at Twickenham but we are in a rebuilding process,” said Laporte. “Since we are aiming at excellence, we must boost the squad.
“If we’ve made so many changes in the squad after winning at Twickenham, it’s because we are not satisfied with our performance. We are perfectly aware that we could have lost and we have a lot of progress to make, especially on the offensive side.”
Chabal will be replaced by Imanol Harinordoquy, the No 8, although Julien Bonnaire’s excellent display at the base of the scrum on Sunday could prompt Laporte to use the returning Biarritz player elsewhere in the back row.
“Sebastien has our trust, but I think he would be more useful in the second row,” he added. “He will be back with us, probably this summer for the Test matches.”
Liebenberg, the centre, is replaced by Yannick Jauzion, who has shaken off his injury.
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“Brian must give more to the team,” said Jo Maso, the team manager. “His performance was too timid compared to what we are expecting from him.”
Elhorga, the full-back, was blamed for France’s lack of strength in their backline, giving an opportunity for Brive’s Julien Laharrague, a France A side regular, to shine.
The 26-year-old intends to make the most of his selection, having already been given a glimpse of what is expected in the international set-up earlier in his career.
“When I was 18, I took part in training with the French team in Narbonne and it looked easy,” he said. “But I did not make enough effort afterwards and I realised how hard it was to play at an international level. As the current team is in a rebuilding process, I hoped I could benefit from the rotations. I am very glad to have been called up. I have progressed a lot physically and at 26, I feel I have enough experience. I can play as a full-back or a winger even though I started my career as a fly-half.”
Laporte and Maso will announce the starting line-up for the Wales game in Marcoussis next Tuesday.