Parra one of five changes
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Pain Of Past Defeats Spurring Ireland On In Paris – Ferris
Now that he’s cleared to play and included in the Ireland starting 15 for Ireland’s second Six Nations Championship match in Paris, Ulster’s Stephen Ferris hopes the pain of past defeats in the French capital will drive Ireland to victory this weekend.
France scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili is out of tomorrow's Six Nations clash against Ireland in Paris with a back injury.
Morgan Parra has been drafted into the starting XV by coach Philippe Saint-Andre, with Julien Dupuy elevated to the bench.
Yachvili had been optimistic the problem would clear up before the clash, but with no improvement noted in recent days, Saint-Andre has elected to act now in order to give Parra time to prepare.
"We thought primarily of the player's well-being, but the pain does not go," Saint-Andre said. "I decided to make a decision 48 hours ahead of the match and allow his successor to work with us during the next two days on the combinations that we have put in place for two weeks."
Yachvili's withdrawal takes to five the number of changes Saint-Andre has made to his team from the 30-12 victory over Italy.
Imanol Harinordoquy, named on the bench last weekend, has been selected ahead of Julien Bonnaire due to his line-out presence. Jean-Baptiste Poux comes in for Vincent Debaty at prop, hooker Dimitri Szarzewski replaces William Servat, and Yoann Maestri has been given the nod ahead of Lionel Nallet in the second-row.
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Irish Independent
