France coach Bernard Laporte has fuelled talk about a two-tier Six Nations championship after saying that he will pick an experimental team against Italy, Ireland and Wales.

After Zinzan Brooke called for seeding in the tournament to avoid it being settled on the opening weekend, Laporte was quoted by Agence France Presse:

"We plan to use two teams in this year's championship. The best team will play England and Scotland, but after that we will be wanting to try out fringe players in view of the World Cup."

There has been a move to distance the Frech coach from the comments, though, a spokesman from the French Rugby Union claiming that Laporte had been misquoted.

That doesn't mean we won't be trying to win every match Fabien Pelous

It is difficult to imagine Les Bleus putting out a second string against Ireland in Dublin on 8 March, having suffered a 22-15 defeat there two years ago.

Wales face France in Paris in the final round of games on 29 March, having won in the French capital on their last two visits.

Should the home side be still in with a chance of the championship, Wales team manager Alan Phillips says he would be "surprised but delighted" if France put out a second string.

France lock Fabien Pelous warned the other sides that his team would be going all out to retain their Grand Slam.

"That doesn't mean we won't be trying to win every match," he said of Laporte's plan to experiment.