Hall lines up to join French foreign legion
Steven Hall joins the French foreign legion for next week's opening round of the Six Nations - with barely 10 days in which to learn
The South African forward from Cape Town follows a well-trodden path from the Southern Hemisphere by taking his place among the 22 selected for the clash against Italy in Paris on Saturday week.
Hall, 29, has every chance of starting the game in place of Patrick Tabacco, who has already been ruled out of the entire championship with a knee injury.
His promotion gives France an alternative at No.8, as well as specialist second row cover.
Hall qualifies through residence after four years with Beziers and joins a pack which includes another South African, Stade Francais prop Pieter de Villiers.
Tony Marsh will represent New Zealand in a French back division already shorn of Christophe Dominici and Clement Poitrenaud, the 19-year- old Toulouse full back who is not expected to recover from a damaged shoulder before England's visit to Paris on March 2.
FRANCE (from): N Jeanjean, A Rougerie, D Bory, X Garbajosa, T Marsh, G Traillie, F Gelez, G Merceron, F Michalak, F Galthie (capt), J-J Crenca, P de Villiers, J-B Poux, Y Bru, R Ibanez, T Private, D Auradou, F Pelous, S Betsen, O Magne, EVermeulen, S Hall.
