Prop Marconnet has recovered from a calf injury

But replacements Frederic Michalak and William Servat are doubtful after suffering knocks in training.

Toulouse centre Benoit Baby will win his first cap for France after Ludovic Valbon was ruled out through injury.

Valbon strained his right thigh in training and will miss the crucial Six Nations game at Lansdowne Road.

In the other change to the side that lost to Wales, winger Cedric Heymans comes in for Aurelien Rougerie.

Coach Bernard Laporte has promoted 22-year-old Beziers hooker Dimitri Swarzewski as precautionary cover for Servat, who suffered a knee injury during training with the A team.

Swarzewski won his only cap coming on as a replacement against Canada last July.

Baby will form an untried centre partnership with Yannick Jauzion

"The good news is that Marconnet has fully recovered from his slight calf injury," said team doctor Thierry Hermerel.

"Regarding to Servat and Michalak, both had scans on Wednesday evening and the results are rather encouraging but it's wait and see."

As expected, France captain Fabien Pelous will win his 100th cap, joining a select list of centurions topped by England's Jason Leonard (114).

Lock Pascal Pape - who has recovered from an ankle injury - and prop Pieter De Villiers come onto the bench for France.

I have a lot of respect and admiration for all Pelous has done Bernard Laporte

"Heymans was an obvious candidate. He has won 10 caps, he was with us last November and he is back to his best after being sidelined by an injury," said Laporte.

Laporte also paid tribute to Pelous. "I have a lot of respect and admiration for all he has done," he said.

Pelous said: "It adds up to nearly 120 weeks, and two-and-a-half years spent in squad sessions preparing for matches."

France team: Julien Laharrague (Brive); Cedric Heymans (Stade Toulousain), Yannick Jauzion (Stade Toulousain), Benoit Baby (Toulouse), Christophe Dominici (Stade Fran�ais), Yann Delaigue (Castres), Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz); Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Francais); Sebastien Bruno (Sale), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Fabien Pelous (Stade Toulousain, capt), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Serge Betsen (Biarritz), Yannick Nyanga (Beziers), Julien Bonnaire (Bourgoin)