France’s Grand Slam hopes went up in smoke in the rearranged clash in Paris as they conceded two first-half Tommy Bowe tries and despite an impressive comeback could only manage a 17-17 stalemate.

However Saint-André resisted the temptation to recall scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili, who orchestrated his Biarritz side’s crucial win in the Top 14 on Saturday, insisting that Stade Français’s Julien Dupuy deserves his chance.

“Bizarrely it was our best match of the tournament. There was some improvement on the set-piece and in the defensive organisation,” said Saint-André.

“It’s also the game where he had most of the ball and created the greatest number of overlaps. We’ve been working with the squad for three or four weeks and it’s starting to come together.

“We had a look at the video and were tempted to recall Yachvili.

“But what could I say to Julien Dupuy who hasn’t played a single minute yet? We also picked him to see how he got on after a great season with Stade Français.

“We’ve only seen him in training so far. There may be a change of strategy on Sunday.”