RBS 6 Nations: France turn to Frédéric Michalak after Jean-Baptiste Elissalde injury

Stade Toulousain’s Frédéric Michalak has been called up by France as a late replacement for injured club colleague Jean-Baptiste Elissalde.

The latter was forced to withdraw from Sunday’s clash with Scotland after injuring his left calf during training on Wednesday, and now looks doubtful for the round two match with Ireland as well.

Elissalde had initially been named as replacement scrum-half for Morgan Parra, but his place has now gone to 27-year-old Michalak, who would win his 52^nd cap if he comes on.

Michalak has not played for France since the final Six Nations match of last season – against Italy – and he wasn’t even in Marc Lièvremont's original 30-man squad. But a combination of injuries and suspensions means that he’s now got the belated nod after Julien Dupuy, Sébastien Tillous-Borde, Dimitri Yachvili and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde had all been ruled out.

Elissalde’s injury is also the latest in a line of disruptive withdrawals, with both Sébastien Chabal and Romain Millo-Chluski pulling out this week, following earlier injuries to Fabien Barcella, Damien Traille and Maxime Mermoz.

For Michalak, the one-time golden boy of French rugby, it presents a surprise opportunity to press his claims for inclusion in next year’s World Cup plans, with Lièvremont having previously acknowledged that he sees the Toulouse player as a more competent nine than 10. But Michalak’s versatility means he will also provide cover for Francois Trinh-Duc at fly-half as well – as Elissalde would have done.

“Wednesday at training I felt a pain inside my calf which didn’t seem to be too acute to me,” said Elissalde. “I even thought it might be a spasm. This morning when I got up it was hard for me to move my foot or walk,” he added. It is a tough blow for Elissalde, who was set to make his first appearance in a France shirt for nearly two years.

Killer instinct

France captain Thierry Dusautoir, meanwhile, has told his players they must develop “that killer instinct” if they want to progress as individuals and a team.

The 28-year-old said France had made great strides in the past year, with their drawn away series in New Zealand and the impressive home win against South Africa in November, but admitted there was still much work to be done.

“Physically, I believe we have shown that we are up there with the best teams. However, certainly our mental equilibrium is lacking: the fact of always being hungry for success, of not being satisfied with how we played and always going in search of victory – all that is lacking at the moment,” he said.

The key to moving forward, he suggested, was consistency. Under head coach Marc Lièvremont France have yet to register three successive wins. “That appears to be our greatest defect,” confirmed Dusautoir. “It is imperative to be consistent in order to win the tournament,” he added.

But coach Lièvremont believes that is now coming. “We have the feeling that the margin of progression in this squad is growing,” he said. “We believe in the potential of this group of players and the players think we are progressing. We are happy where we are up to.”

Bastareaud

Much of the pre-match attention has focused on recalled France centre Mathieu Bastareaud, and Scotland full-back Hugo Southwell – a club team-mate of Bastareaud’s at Stade Francais – confirmed that the hosts were well aware of the 21-year-old’s threat.

“For us this year he has been outstanding,” he told the Scottish Herald. “He’s scored some tries that not many other people in world rugby could score.” One of those was a bulldozing effort against Biarritz at the Stade de France, when “Basta” appeared to be taking the Basques’ entire defence with him across the line.

“He is a strong character,” added Southwell. “He is absolutely loved in France. When we play games at the Stade de France he is one of the few guys who, when his name gets called out on the tannoy, it gets 80,000 people screaming. It’s the way he plays. He gives absolutely everything on the pitch.”

France will be looking for a positive to a campaign in which they have been tipped as bookies’ favourites, and a victory in Edinburgh would make it four in a row against the Scots.

The home side will be captained by former Perpignan scrum-half Chris Cusiter, and the combative number nine admitted that he and his team-mates will need to raise their game despite his club side Glasgow Warriors currently in good form and topping the Magners League.

Nine Glasgow players are in the Scotland squad, something Cusiter believes should work to their benefit on Sunday. “There’s a level of familiarity about the Glasgow guys, we’ve been playing well all season,” he admitted. “But the point is, this is the Six Nations and it’s a step up. We have to step up our game,” he added.

** Injured France and Biarritz centre Traille, meanwhile, is hopeful that he may recover in time from his partial knee ligament rupture to play some part in the forthcoming RBS Six Nations championship.

Traille confirmed his recuperation is progressing faster than anticipated but said he wouldn’t be rushed into a hasty return. “I first want to make sure I am 100% before considering a comeback. I don not want to start too early and risk a more serious injury,” he told Midi Olympique.

But he confirmed that he still held out hope of making the Six Nations, with a club comeback planned before the end of the tournament. “Returning with ‘Les Bleus’? It all depends on how I feel physically. So, my main objective is primarily to resume soon with Biarritz Olympic, because they are in an uncomfortable position,” he added.

Re-jigged France team to play Scotland: