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Six Nations
Date: Saturday, 9 February
Kick-off: 1600 GMT
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
BBC Coverage: Live on BBC One, BBC Sport website (UK users only), Radio Ulster MW and 5 Live Sports Extra.
France and Ireland will both be aiming to make it two wins from two RBS Six Nations games when they clash in Paris.
Ireland have made three changes with Bernard Jackman, Jamie Heaslip and Denis Leamy coming into the side.
There are seven changes to the French line-up which impressed in last weekend’s 26-7 win over Scotland.
Aurelien Rougerie and David Skrela are drafted into the backs while Dimitri Szarzewski, Nicolas Mas, Arnaud Mela and Julien Bonnaire come into the pack.
France coach Marc Lievremont was forced to make a change to his starting side after wing Julien Malzieu withrew with a thigh injury.
Clerc had been dropped to the bench but returned to the line-up on the left wing.
It’s a good squad containing plenty of talent both old and new
Rougerie comes in on the right wing while Skrela takes over from Francois Trinh-Duc at fly-half.
Mas replaces Julien Brugnaut at tight-head and lock Loic Jacquet makes way for Mela.
Number eight Bonnaire starts in place of Elvis Vermeulen, who drops out of the 22 altogether, with Montpellier’s uncapped Louis Picamoles, 21, coming onto the bench.
Full-back Anthony Floch takes Clerc’s place among the replacements.
Jean-Baptiste Elissalde is included at scrum-half having shaken off an ankle injury picked up in the Murrayfield game.
Jackman replaces Ulsterman Rory Best at hooker, Heaslip comes in at number eight and Leamy moves to flanker with Simon Easterby benched.
Due to Gordon D’Arcy’s injury, Andrew Trimble moves to inside centre with Robert Kearney named on the left wing.
Leicester’s Geordan Murphy switches from the left to the right wing.
O’Sullivan, however, has still ignored the form of Ulster winger Tommy Bowe who produced a five-star performance with the Ireland A team against the England Saxons at Leicester last week.
Bowe has not even made the replacements with O’Sullivan gambling on the form of Shane Horgan who has recovered from injury.
Horgan, who looked a little ring-rusty for Ireland ‘A’ at Welford Road last Friday, can be an option to play wing or centre.
The France game is Carlow-born Jackman’s first start for Ireland – the 31-year-old made his debut during the tour to Japan back in 2005 and will be winning his sixth cap.
Ireland: Dempsey; Murphy, B O’Driscoll (capt), Trimble, Kearney; O’Gara, Reddan; Horan, Jackman, Hayes, O’Callaghan, O’Kelly, Leamy, D Wallace, Heaslip.
Replacements: Best, Buckley, M O’Driscoll, Easterby, Stringer, P Wallace, Horgan.
France: Heymans; Rougerie, Marty, Traille, Clerc; Skrela, Elissalde; Mas, Szarzewski, Faure, Mela, Nallet, Ouedraogo, Dusautoir, Bonnaire.Replacements: Servat, Brugnaut, Jacquet, Picamoles, Parra, Trinh-Duc, Floch.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Source: France v Ireland (Sat)
