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France's Morgan Parra - Source: Photosport
Halfback Morgan Parra will start France's Six Nations home match against Ireland on Sunday (NZT) after Dimitri Yachvili pulled out injured, the team said today.
The starting scrumhalf when France lost the World Cup final to New Zealand in October and for the first Six Nations game against Italy last weekend - was suffering from low back pain, the French Federation said earlier in a statement.
Parra replaced Yachvili for the last 17 minutes of last weekend's win, back to his usual position having been France's first five-eighth for most of the World Cup.
France called up Stade Francais player Julien Dupuy as a replacement.
A former Leicester player, Dupuy has won six caps for France but has not been called up since late 2009.
Outside centre Keith Earls was recalled to the Ireland side for the clash after he missed last weekend's home defeat by Wales because his newborn daughter was taken ill.
Earls is the only change from the starting side who were sunk by a late Welsh penalty in their 23-21 loss in Dublin last weekend.