News article – Style E 3476

Full-back Ben Hinshelwood and centre Brendan
Laney have been dropped by coach Matt Williams for Scotland’s RBS Six Nations clash with France.

Scotland coach Matt Williams has taken the axe to Scotland’s backline, dropping full-back Ben Hinshelwood and centre Brendan
Laney from his side to face France in the RBS Six Nations.
Wing-forward, Allister Hogg joins Laney on the bench for Sunday’s international
at
Murrayfield, making way for fit-again Cameron Mather, the regular
first choice
at openside flanker.

Derrick Lee, 30, will make his first international start in
two-and-a-half
years in place of Hinshelwood while Andy Henderson has been brought
in in
place of Laney.

Scotland go into the match with morale close to an all-time low in
the wake
of a 20-14 defeat by Italy in Rome two weeks ago, which followed
heavy losses
to Wales and England.

Williams had considered moving captain Chris Paterson to either
full-back
or centre but finally decided to keep him at stand-off.
The Australian said Lee and Henderson had earned their promotion
to the
starting line-up on the strength of their club form.

“Derrick has earned his spot. Hes been in great form for his
pro-team and
hes been with us in the squad pretty much right through the
championship. Andy Henderson has also earned his opportunity through
performance, while
I’m delighted that Cammie Mather is fit again after his ankle injury
sustained
against England.”

Although Hinshelwood was left out of the squad altogether,
Williams
stressed that the dropped players were not being blamed for the
humiliating
loss in Rome. “Our main problem there was our work at
breakdown,” Williams
said.

Meanwhile, France will also field a reshaped side as they seek to set
themselves up
for next weekend’s showdown with England in Paris.

Openside flanker Olivier Magne recovers his starting spot after
Imanol
Harinordoquy pulled out with an injured elbow and forms a formidable
backrow
with No 8 Thomas Lievremont and hard-man Serge Betsen.

Magne was dropped from the starting XV for the 29-22 win over
Wales in
Cardiff earlier this month and replaced by Lievremont, with
Harindorquy moving
to openside, because coach Bernard Laporte said he was not playing
for the
team.
But he was imprssive when he came on in the second half against
Wales.

Dimitri Yachvili takes over at scrum-half from Jean-Baptiste
Elissalde who
contributed 24 points in Cardiff before tearing his hamstring.

The other change came on the right wing where Vincent Clerc has
been
dropped to the bench and replaced by Pepito Elhorga.

Despite Scotland’s dismal form, French captain Fabien Pelous knows
they are
always a difficult side to play when their pride is on the line.
“Ireland showed us what underdogs can do when they beat
England. Away
matches in Test rugby are never easy and Scotland have a lot of
pride,” Pelous
said.

But Scotland have not beaten the French since they pulled off a
shock
victory at the Stade de France in 1999 and the bookmakers do not give
them
much chance of ending that run on Sunday, making them an 11/2 long
shot to
win.

Scotland: Derrick Lee (Edinburgh Rugby); Simon Danielli (Bath), Tom Philip
(Edinburgh
Rugby), Andrew Henderson (Glasgow Rugby), Simon Webster (Edinburgh
Rugby);
Chris Paterson capt (Edinburgh Rugby), Chris Cusiter (The Borders);
Simon
Taylor (Edinburgh Rugby), Cameron Mather (Glasgow Rugby), Jason White
(Sale
Sharks); Stuart Grimes (Newcastle Falcons), Scott Murray (Edinburgh
Rugby);
Bruce Douglas (The Borders), Gordon Bulloch (Glasgow Rugby), Allan
Jacobsen
(Edinburgh Rugby)

Replacements: Rob Russell (Saracens), Gavin Kerr (Leeds Tykes),
Nathan
Hines (Edinburgh Rugby), Allister Hogg (Edinburgh Rugby), Mike Blair
(Edinburgh Rugby), Brendan Laney (Edinburgh Rugby), Dan Parks
(Glasgow Rugby)

France: Nicolas Brusque (Biarritz); Pepito Elhorga (Agen), Yannick Jauzion
(Stade
Toulousain), Damien Traille (Pau), Christophe Dominici (Stade
Francais);
Frederick Michalak (Stade Toulousain), Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz);
Thomas
Lievremont (Biarritz), Olivier Magne (Montferrand), Serge Betsen
(Biarritz);
Pascal Pape (Bourgoin), Fabien Pelous capt (Stade Toulousain);
Pieter De
Villiers (Stade Francais), William Servat (Stade Toulousain), Sylvain
Marconnet (Stade Francais).

Replacements: Yannick Bru (Stade Toulousain), Jean-Jacques Crenca
(Agen),
David Auradou (Stade Francais), Julien Bonnaire (Bourgoin), Julien
Peyrelongue
(Biarritz), Clement Poitrenaud (Biarritz), Vincent Clerc (Stade
Toulousain)

Referee: Scott Young (Aus)

AFP – 2004.