France coach Marc Lievremont has named Brive centre Fabrice Estebanez and Perpignan prop Jerome Schuster in his experimental team to face Fiji at Nantes on Saturday.

The 28-year-old Estabanez, a former rugby league internaqtional, has been a squad member several times but this will be his first match appearance for his country.

Schuster is involved in the international scene for the first time and the 25-year-old will line up in the front row with team-mate Guilhem Guirado, who takes over at hooker from the injured Dimitri Szarzewski and William Servat.

The other prop slot goes to Luc Ducalcon of Castres who gets a first start in a Test match having previously played in a friendly against Argentina “A” this summer.

Biarritz veteran Damien Traille gets another run at fly-half, the first time this has happened since Lievremont took over as coach in 2008 and he will link up at half-back with club team-mate Dimitri Yashvili.

Another Biarritz stalwart, Imanol Harinordoquy, will link up with them at number eight and he will also take over as captain from Thierry Dusautoir who is rested ahead of the two other Tests against Argentina and Australia.

Julien Arias of Stade Francais wins his second cap, but his first appearance in the starting lineup, on the wing, while Maxime Medard of Toulouse is back after an injury-hit year on the other wing.

Jerome Porical of Perpignan is retained at full-back after playing well in Argentina during the summer tour while Sebastien Chabal is on the bench once again.

The France team announced on Tuesday to play Fiji in a rugby union Test match in Nantes on Saturday:

Jerome Porical (Perpignan); Julien Arias (Stade Français), David Marty (Perpignan), Fabrice Estebanez (Brive), Maxime Medard (Toulouse); Damien Traille (Biarritz), Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz); Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz, capt), Alexandre Lapandry (Clermont), Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Romain Millo-Chluski (Toulouse); Luc Ducalcon (Castres), Guilhem Guirado (Perpignan), Jerome Schuster (Perpignan)

Replacements: Benjamin Noirot (Racing-Metro), Thomas Domingo (Clermont), Julien Pierre (Clermont), Sebastien Chabal (Racing-Métro), Morgan Parra (Clermont), David Skrela (Toulouse), Alexis Palisson (Brive)

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