France coach Marc Lièvremont has handed Mathieu Bastareaud a second chance on the international stage by naming the centre in his starting XV for their RBS 6 Nations opener with Scotland.
The 21-year-old Stade Francais caused outrage in the summer when he made false claims to police that he was attacked and injured on tour in New Zealand.
Basteraud had fallen over drunk in his hotel room and left the tour before being handed a suspended three-month ban by the French Rugby Federation.
But Lièvremont has given him the nod for the trip to Murrayfield with Perpignan’s David Marty dropping to the bench.
Winger Benjamin Fall gets a debut and Francois Trinh-Duc has been named at fly-half despite doubts over his shoulder injury.
Scrum-half Morgan Parra will have kicking duties while there are recalls for winger Aurelien Rougerie, flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo and full-back Clement Poitrenaud.
France team to face Scotland:
C Poitrenaud (Toulouse); B Fall (Bayonne), M Bastareaud (Stade Français), Y Jauzion (Toulouse), A Rougerie (Clermont); F Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), M Parra (Clermont); T Domingo (Clermont), W Servat (Toulouse), N Mas (Perpignan), L Nallet (Racing Metro), P Pape (Stade Français), T Dusautoir (Toulouse), F Ouedraogo (Montpellier), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz).
Replacements: D Szarzewski (Stade Français), L Ducalcon (Castres), J Pierre (Clermont), J Bonnaire (Clermont), J Élissalde (Toulouse), D Marty (Perpignan), V Clerc (Toulouse), S Marconnet (Stade Français).