France call on Saracens' Califano to fill prop role

Bernard Laporte spent yesterday in Gemini mode, looking in two different directions at once: backwards and forwards, over his shoulder and straight ahead. The French coach remained flabbergasted by the drug-taking scandal surrounding his protégé, Pieter de Villiers – "The man deserves to be defended; Pieter has helped our rugby a lot, and even if we cannot forgive him, we can help him recover," Laporte said – but also found time to address the burning sporting issue of the moment, as well as the even hotter disciplinary one.

In finalising his 22 for the Six Nations opener with England at Twickenham on Saturday week, Laporte included Christian Califano, the 30-year-old Saracens prop, with the clear intention of running him as De Villiers' replacement at tight head. "Califano would have had some involvement anyway," he revealed. "He has shown through his club performances and his physical tests that he is back at his best."

Almost nine years ago, when France travelled to New Zealand and beat the All Blacks in a two-Test series famously decided by Jean-Luc Sadourny's "try from the ends of the earth", the young Califano was identified as the first of a new breed of tight head – a mantle that passed to De Villiers last season, when he inspired the Tricolores to their seventh Grand Slam. Sixty-odd caps later, the former Toulouse and Auckland front-rower is set fair for a decent run of matches for the first time since 2000.

Jo Maso, the French manager, confirmed yesterday that the South African-born De Villiers, who tested positive for cocaine and ecstasy in December, would not be selected until all inquiries and disciplinary procedures had been completed. "We have decided to leave him in peace," Maso said. "But he stays in our hearts because he has always been a very respectable man and a senior member of our team."

De Villiers has vehemently denied any wrongdoing – he claims he consumed a spiked drink during a boozy night out in Paris after his club, Stade Français, beat Harlequins in a Parker Pen Challenge Cup tie 11 days before Christmas – and is awaiting the results of a second test. Yesterday, the France captain, Fabien Galthié, extended the hand of support by saying: "It would not bother me at all to play in the same side as Pieter, because he is an honest man." It may take the rugby authorities some time to decide whether De Villiers is as honest as Galthié insists.

Laporte was fairly predictable in his selection: Clement Poitrenaud, the full-back prodigy from Toulouse, is back in favour ahead of Nicolas Brusque, of Biarritz, who has been struggling for fitness, while Dimitri Yachvili, once of Gloucester but now one of Brusque's colleagues in Basque country, has beaten Frédéric Michalak to the reserve scrum-half berth. Thomas Castaignède, good enough for France if not for Saracens, is likely to continue at outside centre in the absence of the injured Tony Marsh.

The Scots, meanwhile, have named two uncapped players – the Borders centre Kevin Utterson and the Leeds prop Gavin Kerr – in their squad for the game with Ireland at Murrayfield a week on Sunday. But the most striking aspect of Ian McGeechan's selection surrounds the open-side position vacated in a red mist of frustration by Budge Pountney last week. Andy Mower, born in Australia but now earning his corn at Newcastle, is the one natural breakaway forward in the party, and assuming he plays, Scotland will have a "kilted kangaroo" to go with all their "kilted kiwis".

"Andy is playing very well at the moment, which is helpful," McGeechan said. "My views are pretty well known on the subject of this position. I see it as a specialist role for players who do very specific things. Budge was consistently good for Scotland, but the jersey moves on. This is an opportunity for someone else to fill it as Budge did."

Kyran Bracken, felled by a high tackle during Saracens' Premiership match with Gloucester last Sunday, has been confirmed as suffering from concussion, and is therefore not available to lead England's A team against the French second-string at Northampton next Friday night.

* Brett Sinkinson, the New Zealand-born Neath and Wales flanker, has been banned for six matches by the Welsh Rugby Union after he was cited for stamping on the Munster goalkicker, Ronan O'Gara, during the Celtic League final on Saturday.