France XV: Jalibert Benched, Galthié Justifies His Decision

Gabin Villière To Start At Fullback As France Change Three-Eighth Of Team For Scotland Clash

France head coach Fabien Galthié has defended his decision to bench Matthieu Jalibert for Saturday's Guinness Six Nations clash with Scotland at Murrayfield.

Jalibert has been in impressive form for Bordeaux-Bègles this season, but Galthié has opted to start with Romain Ntamack at fly-half and move Damian Penaud to inside centre.

Galthié Justifies Jalibert's Absence From Starting XV

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Galthié said: "Matthieu is a great player, but we have decided to go with Romain at fly-half and Damian at inside centre for this game.

"We believe that this is the best combination for the team at this moment in time.

"Matthieu will still be involved in the squad, and he will have a role to play off the bench.

"We have a lot of competition for places in this team, and that is a good thing.

"It means that everyone has to be on top of their game, and it makes us a stronger team overall.

"We are confident that we can go to Murrayfield and get a good result against Scotland."

France will be looking to make it three wins from three in this year's Six Nations when they take on Scotland.

They have already beaten Italy and Ireland, and a victory over the Scots would put them in a strong position to challenge for the title.

Scotland, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from their defeat to Wales last weekend.

They have a good record at Murrayfield, and they will be confident of causing an upset against the French.

The match is set to be a close and competitive encounter, and it could have a major impact on the outcome of this year's Six Nations.