Under-fire scrum-half Gareth Cooper is replaced by Rees in the No.9 shirt with Lions star Mike Phillips taking his place on the bench after a spell on the sidelines.

But the biggest surprise came in the second row where Gatland has picked a brand-new combination in Blues duo Jones and Bradley Davies.

With Alun Wyn Jones out injured and Jonathan Thomas moving to the back-row to cover the dropped Andy Powell, many expected the experienced Ian Gough or Newport Gwent Dragons recent man-of-the-match Luke Charteris to partner Davies in the boiler room.

But Gatland instead turned to Jones who will be winning his eighth cap for his country.

Up front Huw Bennett gets the nod at hooker to complete an all-Ospreys front row while Thomas forms a back-row unit with captain Ryan Jones and veteran Martin Williams who will win his 94th cap making him Wales’ most capped forward of all time with Colin Charvis.

Among the replacements are Saracens prop Rhys Gill and Scarlets hooker Ken Owens who would make their debuts if they come on while Tom Shanklin provides cover along the backline.

And Gatland had no qualms about throwing Jones or Rees into the fray against France who are favourites for the title.

He said: “Deiniol (Jones) has been in very good form for the Blues and he has the opportunity to partner his regional colleague (Bradley Davies) which should help both players settle in quickly," said head coach Warren Gatland.

“Bradley deserves his chance, he has been around this squad since he has been a youngster but he has worked hard and is in great physical shape and has the potential to be a great player.

“Jonathan Thomas moves to the back row but he will also hopefully have an impact at line-out time alongside Bradley and Deiniol, he runs that area for the Ospreys and has been doing a good job.

“Richie has played himself into the starting line-up and deserves his chance, but once we had decided on his selection we couldn't ignore the opportunity to bring Mike Phillips back into the fold.

“It was great to see Mike get a full half for the Ospreys at the weekend and he is someone who can give us a different option from the bench.

“He is a world class player and he has been champing at the bit to get back to international rugby. He may not be 100 per cent match fit but he still has probably the best pass in Northern Hemisphere rugby and is a big physical presence so we know he won't let us down.”