France have dropped open-side flanker Olivier Magne and reshuffled their back row for Sunday's Six Nations championship match against Wales in Cardiff.

Magne, who has won 74 caps, has been replaced by Thomas Lievremont who will start at number eight. Imanol Harinordoquy moves to the side of the scrum.

"Thomas has played several very good games with Biarritz since the beginning of the year," said coach Bernard Laporte yesterday.

"We have told Magne that it wasn't a question of setting him aside and that he would come on for the half hour of the game and maybe earlier."

Harinordoquy has played twice as a flanker in 24 internationals. Lievremont has won 23 caps, the last as a starting player in April 2000 against Italy.

In the only other change to the team who beat Italy 25-0 two weeks ago, Frederic Michalak has been reinstated at outhalf after recovering from a chest injury.

FRANCE (v Wales): N Brusque; V Clerc, Y Jauzion, D Traille, C Dominici; F Michalak, J Elissalde; S Marconnet, W Servat, P de Villiers, F Pelous (capt), P Pape, S Betson, I Harinordoquy, T Lievremont. Replacements: Y Bru, J Crenca, D Auradou, O Magne, D Yachvili, B Liebenberg, C Heymans.